What the Hair! (Episode Alternative)
by HeartAngel1796
Summary: Story #1: Varian & Ophelia Alternative Series. Ophelia is a girl from Old Corona, working at the capitol in the palace kitchen. When she hears that the princess is seeking answers on the mysteries of her hair, she knows a certain alchemist who can help.
1. Chapter 1

**Tangled: The Series**

 **Alternative Episode, Story #1:** _ **What the Hair?!**_

 **Hello FanFiction universe and all who inhabit it!**

 **Just a few short months ago, I got into 'Tangled: the Series.' Why I started watching it was not because I loved the show, but because I fell in love with Varian.**

 **Varian is one of the most interesting and lovable characters I've ever seen in an animated TV show.**

 **And because I love him so much, I thought he deserved a love interest. And because I am not a shipper of him and Cassandra (I don't even like Cass that much), I created my own. Her name is Ophelia.**

 **This story will follow the events and main story line of the original episode ' _What the Hair?!_ ' but with Ophelia plugged in, as well as a few of my own small changes here and there.**

 **Hope u guys like it ;)**

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Working as a kitchen help in the Corona palace wasn't her dream. But for Ophelia, it was good enough for the time being. The rest of the palace staff was nice, the royal family were lovely to serve, and she was paid well. And of course, the palace kitchen was a glorious place indeed for those who loved to bake.

As a servant in the palace kitchen, Ophelia always wore a white apron that covered over the front of her dark purple dress. She always kept her dark auburn-brown hair up in a braid that ended around her lower back while she worked. And in the right light, there was a bit of a violet tinge to it.

Ophelia had already cleared the table under the gazebo in the gardens after the King and Queen had had their breakfast. But their daughter, the used-to-be-lost princess, Rapunzel, had just finished her breakfast. So the fifteen-year-old kitchen maid was clearing the table from her meal. After she had finished eating, Rapunzel had stuck around, but stayed out of the younger girl's way as she cleaned. The princess sat on the steps of the gazebo, reading a book, with her beloved chameleon companion Pascal on her shoulder, while Ophelia neatly piled dishes from the table on a tray, which she would carry back to the kitchen to be washed.

She was almost done when Lady Cassandra came over. The young kitchen maiden couldn't believe the princess had such a close, yet casual friendship with her lady-in-waiting. Then again, Rapunzel wasn't like most royalty. She was raised in a tower for eighteen years, unaware of her royal blood. Being a princess, living in a castle full of people there to serve you was still really new to her. Even after being back for a little over six months. It was odd to Ophelia sometimes, but she at least understood why. Nor would she complain about it. Ophelia liked Rapunzel. She was always super nice to the staff, treating them all like her friends, and never looking down on anyone. The King and Queen were both very nice as well. Ophelia felt lucky to be in their employment. She didn't mind serving those wealthier and more powerful than her. She only cared that they were good people.

Ophelia would never serve anyone who treated her or anyone she cared about badly.

"Hey Raps," Cassandra informally greeted the princess. Rapunzel looked up from her book. "You all set here?"

Rapunzel smiled. "Yeah, I'm just-" she let her sentence go unfinished and her smile dropped as her hand ventured up to fiddle with her hair.

"Fussing with your hair again?" Cassandra said as she sat down beside her friend on the gazebo stairs. Rapunzel nodded.

"I don't know what to do Cass," Rapunzel looked down as she closed her book. "This has to mean something. Doesn't it? And the dreams I've been having… they've got to mean something. I know they're trying to tell me something but I don't know what." Cassandra listened attentively to her friend, giving her a comforting pat on her arm. Ophelia listened to, unable to help herself from hearing what they were saying. "Even since that night-"

"Shhh!" Cassandra hushed the blonde girl. Rapunzel quickly shut her month. "Raps," the lady-in-waiting whispered, gesturing with her eyes to behind them, where Ophelia was still clearing the table. With her back to them, Ophelia continued with her work, pretending like she wasn't paying any attention, but she knew their eyes were on her. Ophelia wasn't one to pry or stick her nose in where it didn't belong, but she did consider herself a very curious person. Plus, she couldn't help it if she could hear everything the two older girls were saying just a few feet from her.

"Right," Rapunzel said. Her next words, she chose carefully before she spoke them. "Even since my hair's turned back, I've been having these dreams, and I don't know what they could mean. Or what my hair returning to the way it was is supposed to mean," she said before groaning in frustration, then burying her face in her hands. "I just wish someone knew something about what's happening to me."

Still listening, Ophelia felt bad for the sweet princess. Like everyone else in Corona, she knew the princess's incredibly long blonde hair had mysteriously grown back. She had also heard that it was impossible to cut when she and Lady Cassandra tried. Nobody, not even the princess herself, knew what was going on. She was concerned for the princess. And if she was concerned, she could only image how freaked out Rapunzel herself was about how this happened and why.

If only there was someone Rapunzel could go to that could help get her some answers about her hair…

Ophelia almost dropped the glass she was holding as she was struck by her greatest idea that didn't involve baking or music.

There _was_ someone who could help the princess. And she knew exactly where to find him.

After gently putting the glass down on the tray, then wiping her hands off on her apron and quickly straighten out her braid, Ophelia turned around. The two older girls were still sitting on the gazebo steps together, their backs to her. Taking a deep breath, the young kitchen maid stepped closer to the stairs and spoke.

"I might know someone who can help."

Cassandra and Rapunzel both looked back up at the younger girl standing behind them, surprised looks on their faces. As they both stood up on the top step, Ophelia took a step back. The young kitchen maid suddenly felt small under the startled gaze of the princess and the suspicious glare of Lady Cassandra. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Ophelia quickly apologized with a curtsy and bow of her head, fearing the princess might be mad that she had been listening in on what was meant be a private conversation. Timidly, Ophelia raised her head a bit before she continued. "It's just… I know you must have questions of why your legendary hair has come back, and I believe I know someone that can give you some answers."

"Really?" Rapunzel said hopefully. "See Cass, there is someone who can help us," she said excitedly to her best friend beside her.

Cass, however, did not look so glad. "Who exactly is this friend of yours?" she asked skeptically, crossing her arms.

Feeling less timid about speaking freely to the two, Ophelia looked at them both and smiled. "His name is Varian," she said confidently. "He's my best friend, and he's very smart. And very gifted with things like this," she explained proudly.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "So he's… some kind of wizard?" she asked.

"Uh, actually-" Ophelia tried to correct the lady-in-waiting, but the princess's astounded gasp cut her off.

"Wow! A real wizard?!" Rapunzel said excitedly. "Does he have one of those pointy hats? And like a rod and staff, and casts spells?" she asked.

Again, Ophelia opened her mouth to correct them, but Cassandra beat her to the punch. "Hold on a second," she said before turning back to the younger girl. "I've heard of this Varian guy. In Old Corona?"

"Yes, that's where he lives. It's also where I lived before coming here," Ophelia answered, not liking the tone the older maiden was using to talk about her friend. "What do you know about Varian?"

"Just that very little is known about him, and what is, isn't good," Cass explained, her glare turning more suspicious. "Some even say he's dangerous."

That accusation, Ophelia wouldn't stand for. While she was still cautious of her behavior around the royal family, she had no issue speaking up to a lady-in-waiting. Best friend to the princess or not, Cassandra was still a castle staff member just like her. And she would _not_ let anyone talk about Varian like that.

Her eyes narrowed, Ophelia stepped closer to Cass. "Varian is my best friend," she said straight in the older girl's face. "He is nice, clever, smart, talented, friendly, funny, loyal, and a bit odd," she defended. Cass narrowed her eyes back at the younger girl as she spoke. "But dangerous…?" she asked before slowly shaking her head. "he wouldn't hurt a fly."

Sensing the tension, Rapunzel decided to intervene. "Hear that Cass? Wouldn't hurt a fly," she said with a big smile, stepping in the space between the two female castle workers. "I think Varian is safe to talk to," she said to her best friend. Cassandra looked at Rapunzel but then looked away, not sure if this was a good idea. "And Cass, if we want answers, he's our best bet," Rapunzel added.

After a few seconds of thinking it over, Cassandra sighed. "Fine," she said. Rapunzel grinned triumphantly and Ophelia smiled, but the younger girl's smiled faulted when Cassandra turned her next words back to her. "But if your friend turns out to be not as 'harmless' as you say he is, and puts me and the princess in danger, you will not only answer to me, but the King too," she told the kitchen maid. "Understood?"

"Of course," Ophelia said with a solid nod.

"And this is a private matter. So you will keep this a secret from everyone else," Cassandra added.

"I swear I will tell no one else," Ophelia promised.

With that settled, Rapunzel clapped her hands together with a grin. "Well," she said. "Sounds like we have a wizard to visit." After saying that, the princess excitedly ran out of the gazebo, Cassandra following behind her. Ophelia once again tried to speak out to them to correct them on their perception of what Varian really was, but again, her words fell flat as they both left the gazebo. Turning back around, Ophelia quickly gathered what was left on the table onto the tray and carefully carried it back inside.

She'd let the other kitchen workers wash them. She had a journey to prepare for. Ophelia smiled while she bit her lip. She was going to see Varian again!

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 **2nd chapter will be up soon. Please review (nicely) and keep reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello All! It's been about a week since I posted this, so here's the next chapter! I actually had this pretty much ready last week, but I wanted to wait.**

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By later that day, the three young ladies were on their way to Old Corona on horseback.

Ophelia's kitchen apron was gone and she had taken out her work-braid and wore her hair down with a smaller braid draped nicely over the rest of her hair in a simple style, in the back. She also wore a black cloak over her shoulders, the hood draped over her head. She might not have needed it for this occasion, but she liked wearing it when she went out. It was special to her.

Cassandra was out of her dress for working at the castle and in her favorable outfit for outings and adventures, with a sword strapped to her back. She held the reigns of Fidella with Rapunzel riding behind her, Pascal on her shoulder. Ophelia road on another palace horse beside them. This horse was a sweet, younger white and light brown mare named Vanilla. She wasn't a horse on the royal guard, but she assisted with other castle staff in their work. And she and the young kitchen maiden got along swimmingly.

Ophelia was excited. Getting to help a member of the royal family felt like such a huge honor. True, it was her job to help them every day by cooking their meals and cleaning up afterwards, but this was different. This was bigger. The princess had an actual, serious problem, and she was helping by bringing her to someone that she knew could help her. And she knew Varian would also feel very honored to help the princess in her great time of need.

If anyone could help her, it was Varian.

After a few sort hours of riding, the group finally arrived at the small village along the great Corona wall; Old Corona. All the people they passed wore plain and almost raggedy looking clothes. When they saw the princess, they all immediately stopped what they were doing to bow or curtsy as she passed them by. All the buildings and residences were fairly small and simple structures. Nothing was too colorful or shined like the streets of the capital. Overall, the village was quite gray. It wasn't much, but to Ophelia, it was home.

Ophelia rode ahead of her two companions on the same horse, guiding them to where Varian's house was. After riding further down the dirt road, they came to the biggest structure they had seen in the entire village, the Corona wall right behind it. It almost looked like a small castle, but there were missing bricks to the top of the main tower, and half the roof was missing on another tower close by. It looked pretty ominous to Cass and the princess, but Ophelia was bursting at the seams to be back.

The three ladies dismounted their horses, leaving them by a tree a few yards from the building. As they quietly crossed over the bridge, approaching the small castle, Rapunzel and Cassandra looked at it with wariness and a bit of fear.

"So this is where Varian lives. It seems cozy," Rapunzel said with a nervous smile. "In a 'I wish I had said goodbye to my loved ones before I left' kind of way." Even Pascal was nervous, hiding as far as he could back behind Rapunzel's braid.

Ophelia sighed, knowing her companions still didn't believe that there was nothing to be afraid of there. Continuing her walk, Ophelia turned around to speak to them. "Ladies, I know the place looks a bit… rundown, but it's really not bad," she said as she walked backwards in front of them. The younger girl turned back around to look up at the structure as they stopped at the base of the front stairs. "This place is like a second home to me," she said with smile.

The three climbed the stairs and approached the double doors. Ophelia was just about to knock when a pale green fog started coming out from the bottom of it. Followed by the fog was a slight rumble of the structure, causing one of the doors to creek open a bit.

Rapunzel remained nervous and Cassandra looked on-guard. Ophelia merely shrugged. "Varian must be working on something," the younger girl said as simply as a comment about the current weather. Ophelia pushed the door open further before looking back over her shoulder. "Come on," she said to her two companions, nodding to them to follow her through the door.

"Stay close Raps," Cassandra said to the princess as they both entered behind Ophelia. The group walked down a dark but short hallway before coming to another questionable looking door; this one with thick purple fog coming out from all around it.

"This way," Ophelia said to them as she opened the single door and walked right it. She paid the ominous fog no mind as she walked through it, not nervous at all, but she was looking around a lot. Where was Varian?

"It's just fog," Rapunzel said to try to calm herself, but still looking at the fog like it was going to bit her. "I'm sure it's okay."

As they walked further into the room, Ophelia suddenly stopped. "Wait, watch your step in here. Varian sometimes sets out-" Rapunzel immediately stopped walking as she heard the beginning of Ophelia's warning, but Cassandra kept going. Before she could finish her sentences, however, Cassandra's foot hit a wire stretched across the floor. The wire was connected to the top handle of a fireplace bellows up on a shelf nearby. When it was snagged, the top handle came down, pumping out a blast of air. In front of the bellows was a match pointing straight up, sitting on a small plank of wood with four wheels on the bottom, and a small piece of cloth was attached to the match like a sail. When the air blast was released from the bellows, the gust blew into the match's sail, allowing it to roll along the shelf. As the wheels carried the match along, its top end brushed across a sheet of sandpaper that was hung from above at the perfect level to reach the match's tip; igniting it as it moved. The match finally came to a stop on the other side of the shelf, right under a flask filled with a strange pink liquid. The flask was corded shut, but attached to the side of it was a small, swirly tube. When the lit match stopped below the flask, it heated the pink liquid, making it bubble. As it bubbled, the pink liquid traveled from the flask through the tube, spiraling down to below the shelf, where a clear sphere sat on a spring. The pink liquid poured out of the tube and into the sphere. When it was full, the spring bent down under the weight of the pink sphere before flinging it off and onto the ground were the three young ladies stood. When it hit the ground, the sphere burst and released even more purple fog. The three covered their eyes and coughed as they waited for the fog to settle. When they finally looked down again, they saw their feet trapped in a pink-purely goo. "….booby-traps," Ophelia said with a sigh, wishing she had said something sooner and that the other girls had listened to her better.

"What is this stuff?" Rapunzel asked, somewhat disgusted as she tried to move her feet.

Cassandra tried as well, but the goo only stretched a bit before snapping her feet back into place. The lady-in-waiting then turned to the princess, worrying for her safety most of all, but tried to reassure her. "Raps, everything's gonna be o-" she tried to say before she caught sight of something approaching them.

From out of the purple fog stepped a dark figure in a trench coat and long black gloves. Their face was covered by a scary metal mask with huge glowing yellow eyes. When he spoke, his voice was deep and even more terrifying then his presence.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" the figure said to them.

Assuming this was the man they were looking for, Rapunzel started to speak. "Uh, hi," Rapunzel said with a friendly but very nervous tone and timid wave of her hand. "So sorry to bother you, sir. I wanted to ask you about my hair," she said, bringing her braid around her shoulder for a second to show him. "because you're such a magic expert and-"

"MAGIC?!" the figure yelled a bit louder, outraged. Rapunzel stopped talking to coil back a bit in fear from the scary man while Cassandra looked at him like she was ready to draw her sword at a seconds notice.

Ophelia on the other hand, calmly removed her hood. "I tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen, Varian," she said with a simple shrug, her hands on her hips.

The masked man turned his bright yellow eyes to the younger girl caught in his chemical booby-trap. He had heard her voice. He knew that voice anywhere, whether it was telling him to help her sit the table or singing a song while she was baking muffins. He didn't believe it at first, but after getting a good look at her face, he knew he was right. "OPHELIA?" he exclaimed after a fairly long pause. The kitchen maid's smile grew as she looked at him. "OPHE-" he started to say again, but, suddenly realizing he was still wearing his welding mask, took a moment to lift it from his face and onto the top of his head. The mask gone revealed the face of a young boy, no older then the kitchen maid, with big blue eyes, freckles all along his cheeks and nose, and a head of short hair as black as night. Among his pitch dark locks was a single streak of hair that was a peculiar color of pale blue. "Ophelia!" he exclaimed, his voice no longer deep and scary, with a smile that matched the younger girls,' his arms open wide.

Ophelia moved to meet him halfway. "Ah!" she let slip from her mouth as she caught herself from falling when her feet wouldn't move from the goo.

"Oh, right. Sorry," the boy apologized, realizing the problem. "Where is that neutralizing particle…?" he muttered to himself as he started feeling around in his dark green trench coat for a second. "Ah!… here we go," he said after pulling out what looked like a salt shaker.

After the boy sprinkled some of the white substance on the purple goo by Ophelia's feet, it dissolved away within seconds. As soon as her feet were free, Ophelia launched herself into the boy's waiting arms.

"Oh Varian," she whispered as she hugged him. "It's so good to see you." She hadn't seen him in months and missed him so much since that day. The boy, Varian, held her just as tight, his eyes closed and with a smile that was nothing short of pure happiness.

"That's Varian?" Cassandra said as she and Rapunzel watched the two hug, not believing the person they were looking for that could help them, was just a kid.

"So he's not a wizard?" Rapunzel asked confused. Ophelia had said something a minute ago about that not being true. Plus, this boy didn't look like any wizard she imaged. No pointy hat, no magic staff. Not even a beard.

Hearing this, Varian opened his eyes and pulled away from Ophelia, just enough to look at her but still held onto her at arm's length. "You told them I was a wizard?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I told them you could help them, and that you were talented with things like this," Ophelia told him before pulling away from him more so she could turn and look back at the two older girls she brought with her. "and they assumed 'wizard.' I tried to correct them but they wouldn't let me get a word in." The young kitchen maid gave them both a little look before turning back to her closest friend, changing her look to a sweet grin. "I know better than anyone that you're a man of science."

Varian smiled back, happy to know his oldest friend wasn't spreading or encouraging rumors about him that she of all people would know weren't true. While other people inside and outside their village, when they hear of his talents, think he's a wizard who practices magic, Ophelia is the only person anywhere who knows the real him without a doubt.

"Indeed I am," Varian said proudly before turning to speak directly to the two older girls standing in his lab. "See I don't work with magic… I mean technically its alchemy, but uh-you know, don't sweat it," he reassured them.

Pascal narrowed his eyes at the stranger, not entirely sure what to make of him, until his owner spoke again to him. "Got it," Rapunzel said kindly. "What is this anyway?" she asked, gesturing down to her foot as she raised it a bit, or as much as she could while still stuck in the mysterious goo.

"Oh, it's just a little chemical compound of my own design," Varian explained as he started to remove his trench coat, followed swiftly by his welding mask that sat on his head. When it was gone, a pair of goggles was revealed to be resting on the top of his head. As he took them off, Ophelia took them from him. "Thank you," he said humbly to his best friend. Ophelia just smiled as she carried them to the coat rack in the corner. On her way, she opened a window to let out some of the purple fog, which was already starting to clear the room. As she hung up his trench coat and mask, Ophelia also removed her black cloak and hung that up as well. "We have a bit of a critter problem out here," Varian continued to explain as he walked to the other side of the room where the goo trail ended, and there, also trapped in it, was a raccoon. Rapunzel and Cassandra wondered for a second how they had not noticed the little guy when they came in. "and through the miracle of modern alchemy, I have found a humane way to solve the problem." As he spoke, Varian applied more of the white substance from the shaker to the goo by the raccoon's feet, freeing it as well before picking it up.

"Ruddiger!" Ophelia shrieked in delight as she came running back over to Varian, taking the raccoon from him and hugging the little critter warmly. The raccoon, presumably named Ruddiger, chortled in pleasure as the girl affectionately scratched him behind the ears. "You're still sneaking in here?" she asked the animal sweetly before turning to the boy beside her. "And Varian, you keep throwing him out?" she asked him in mock-outraged

"You know my dad doesn't like him in the house," Varian said, his hands up in defense. After befriending the young raccoon who was constantly sneaking into the house, both Varian and Ophelia didn't like having to toss him out after catching him in the goo trap meant for other pests. Ruddiger was more of a pet. A pet they fed and played with, but had to hide when Varian's father was around.

"This is riveting, but could you get us out of here?" Cassandra said with a roll of her eyes. She wanted to get down to business of why they came there, but she'd rather not remain stuck in this kid's slim trap.

"Oh right. Of course," Varian hastened himself over to the other young ladies. The young man knelt down and sprinkled more of the white substance onto the princess's bare feet. "I am so sorry," he apologized before sprinkling more on Cassandra's feet. When all the goo was gone, Varian pulled his hand with the shaker back to his chest. "Your Highness," he said, properly bowing his head to Rapunzel.

"Your Highness?" Rapunzel said, surprised. "You know who I am?"

Remaining down on one knee, Varian looking up at her again to reply. "Uh, how could I not?" The boy let out a soft chuckle. "Look at your hair…" Varian stopped himself, fearing he might have said too much. "Your Highness," he said again before letting out an awkward cough.

"Oh please. Just Rapunzel," she reassured the nervous young lad.

"Wow. Really?" Varian said happily as he stood up. Seeing that it was okay, Varian let himself dive into a ramble about his thoughts on the princess's hair that he had been considering for the past few days. "Okay. So… fantastical stories of your hair returning have spread throughout Corona," Varian said as he walked around the princess, observing her blonde hair, bunched up into a braid that only just barely touched the ground. Then he lifted it up in his gloved hands for a second. "Yeah, people say it's magic but personally, I don't really believe that." Dropping her hair, Varian walked back to in front of the two older girls. "Now as you've probably guessed, I am a man of science, specifically al-"

"Alchemy. We know," Cassandra cut in, bored of the kid's pointless rambling.

"That's actually the reason I brought them here Varian," Ophelia said, coming back over to the group. "Princess Rapunzel wants to know why her hair is back and needed to find someone who could help her, and I thought of you. I know if anyone can uncover the unknown, it's you," she said to her dear friend, giving him a sincere smile.

Varian smiled back, touched that she recommended him and that the princess was willing to give him a chance. "Well alright then," he said, rubbing his hands together before cracking them, ready and up for the challenge.

"Yeah, great," Cassandra cut in again. "Now listen kid, we need your help but let me make something clear," she stood right in front of him, poking him in the chest. "What happens here, stays here," she told him with great force before grabbing ahold of the front of his shirt and lifting him up a bit. "You got it?"

It was one thing to insist that her best friend was dangerous, but to talk to him so threateningly when she just met him and he hadn't even done anything bad to her or the princess yet… Ophelia did not appreciate that one bit.

Ophelia's hands sprung up and separated Cassandra's hands from Varian's shirt.

After so many inventions and experiments that had gone wrong over the years and the village pointing fingers at him for being a nuisance, Ophelia was used to sticking up for Varian. It was like a second nature to her. After all these years, it was an instinct to protect him.

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 **There we are. Varian has come at last and he is reunited with his oldest and dearest friend. (There will be more backstory of their past together later on).**

 **I can't promise I will be making weekly updates, but I will post when I can.**

 **Big thanks to the people who left reviews this past week. I have some responses for you;**

 ** _Princess Jaquline Chess_ : Thank u so much! When I was finished binge-watching 'Tangled: The Series' season 1, I started looking for fanfiction about Varian, and your stories _If You Only Knew Me_ , _These Runaways Will Run The Night_ , and _Where The Lost Get Found_ , were the first ones I found and I loved them. I liked your love interest for Varian (Juliet), so it inspired me to make my own. I'm glad you like her. Your comment did make my day feel blessed.**

 _Anonymous_ **: This soon enough for u my friend? Love your enthusiasm for my story, and I hope you like the ones to come. I'm still working on the next chapter so I don't know how soon the next chapter will be done.**

 ** _Crystalmoon39_ : I'm so glad u feel that way. **

**Also thank u to everyone who followed and favorited this story.**

 **See u all next chapter ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's been so long guys. I'm a slow updater (most of the time), plus I haven't been feeling too well for the past month or so, kinda harm to write sometimes.**

 **Anyway, I'm just glad to finally post this next chapter.**

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Rapunzel was laid down on an observation table in Varian's lab while the young alchemist walked along the table, looking closely at her hair laid out along it, from under a big magnified glass lens attached to some metal brackets, supported on a rotating metal post. Ophelia stood on the opposite side of the table, watching Varian work. Cassandra stood at the end of the table by Rapunzel's feet, doing the same thing, but with a much more critical eye.

"Oh, yes. This…is… it's very…" Varian said to himself, intrigued, as he observed the princess's hair. Varian stopped just as he came to Rapunzel's head. "…long." That was his best description of her hair from just this simple examination. "Oh no, don't worry Your High-" he said before correcting himself. "Rapunzel." The young lad was so glad he could call the princess of Corona that right to her face. "I am sure that I, Varian, can unlock the mystery of your hair with the power of science!" Varian swatted the big magnified lens away from him before standing there, proud of his statement, only for a second though, because the lens came spinning back around from behind him. "Ow!" he yelled as it hit him in the back of his head. Rapunzel sat up to look at him worriedly, as did Cassandra and Ophelia. Varian touched a hand to the back of his head, only to bring it back to show a bit of blood on his glove. "Yuh… don't sweat it. It's just a little-" Varian said before his eyes went cross and he started muttering an odd sort of laugh before collapsing to the floor.

"Varian!" Ophelia ran around the table and knelt by her friend's side. She held up his head with one arm, placing a small cloth to the back of it to stop the minor bleeding. "Varian?" she said while shaking him and lightly smacking his cheek. "Come on Varian, talk to me."

Slowly, Varian started to open his eyes. "Nuh… uhh," he mumbled as he looked up with blurry eyes to the young lady above him; big silvery-blue eyes looking down on him. A goofy smile then grew on his face. "Ophey. Hey. When did you get back?"

Relieved that he was conscious again, Ophelia rolled her eyes before smacking his cheek a bit harder. "Snap out of it Varian."

Rapunzel and Cass just watched as Ophelia helped Varian sit up.

"Does he have a concussion?" Rapunzel asked, concerned.

"No. Varian just doesn't like the sight of blood," Ophelia explained as she examined the small wound within her friend's black hair, lightly dabbing it some more with the cloth. "Anything bigger than a parchment cut just making him so dizzy."

"Indeed," Varian concurred, starting to come out of his delirious haze. "But still Ophelia, my head hurts a lot right now," he added before cringing in pain.

Rapunzel cringed too, not liking the sight of the young lad in pain. Looking down at her hair again, she realized what she could do. She hadn't done this in a while, but if her hair was back, it had to still work the same. And she still remembered the song.

Quickly looking around, she spotted two chairs a few feet away. Rapunzel leapt off the table and grabbed both chairs.

"Cass, help Ophelia bring him over here," she asked of her best friend as she placed the chairs by the table.

As Ophelia helped Varian stand, Cassandra came to his other side, lifting his arm over her shoulders to help move him. A light blush came to Varian's cheeks, seeing his arm draped over the lovely, best friend of the princess. He snapped back to himself, however, when he was seated in one of the chairs and the princess started wrapping, practically piling, her hair onto the top of his head.

"Uh. What are you doing?" Varian asked.

"It's okay. This'll help," Rapunzel reassured him. When she was finished placing her hair on his head, she sat down in the second chair, facing him.

Taking a deep breath, Rapunzel closed her eyes and sang;

" _Flower gleam and glow_

 _Let your power shine_

 _Make the clock reverse_

 _Bring back what once was mine._

 _Heal what has been hurt_

 _Change the fates design_

 _Save what has been lost_

 _Bring back what once was mine…_

(Varian looked down to the chameleon in the princess's lap. He merely smiled and pointed up to his own head. Varian crocked an eyebrow at the little creature before looking back at the princess.)

 _What once was mine."_

When she was done with her song, Rapunzel opened her eyes. "Better?" she happily asked the younger boy.

After removing the bundle of blonde hair from his head, Varian put his hand to the back of his head again. "Oh yeah-" he started to say, only to bring his hand back and still see blood on his glove. "No!" he yelled, closing his fist tight, as well as his eyes.

Rapunzel lifted a handful of her hair up to look at, confused. "Huh. That used to work."

What Rapunzel failed to notice, because she kept her eyes closed the whole time, was that her hair did not glow at all while she sang.

She didn't understand. If her hair was long and blonde again, why wasn't it working the same?

The magic had not worked. It didn't heal Varian.

Ophelia had retrieved another clean cloth and a blue pack that Varian had invented. It was a clear bag full on a blue gel that could be frozen and refrozen to be used several times over. Ophelia wrapped the cloth around the blue-cold pack. "Here," she said as she stood to Varian's side and gently placed the wrapped cold pack to the back of his head. "That better?"

Varian sighed in relief from having the cool object on his aching head. "Much. Thanks," he said to her, looking up at her gratefully. The young alchemist couldn't help but smile up at her. He had missed this. Every time he accidently hurt himself, Ophelia was there in no time flat. She was always there. "God, I missed you so much Ophelia," he said, grabbing ahold of her other hand.

Ophelia squeezed Varian's hand. "I missed you too Vary-Berry," she said with a giggle.

Varian chuckled with a light shake of his head. "You know something crazy? I actually missed you calling me Vary-Berry." This earned him a giggle from his best friend.

It was a silly nick-name Ophelia had affectionately given him years ago for his love of all the berry-themed baked goods she liked to make. Varian was usually annoyed by the name and had rolled his eyes whenever she called him it, but still, he let her call him that because they were so close and it brought her joy. But only her.

When Varian's head finally stopped bleeding and Ophelia took back the cold pack, Varian started looking at the princess' hair again.

"Well, silver lining, we've acquired some critical data about your hair. It no longer possesses its legendary healing power," he deduced. "Progress!" he shouted optimistically as he stood with a big pile of her hair in his hands. "Now, let's figure out exactly what this hair it made of." Varian took the pile of hair with him as he walked to the other side of the room, where a giant sheet was covering something big. After dropping the hair, Varian pulled the sheet away to reveal a platform littered with smaller machines and gadget attachments, and another observation table, this one metal and on a rotating gear at the center. "This machine can analyze any substance for chemical makeup, biopic composition," Varian explained as he walked onto the platform. "-and structural integrity," he said before nudging the side of the table with his elbow, making it spring up to stand horizontally. As well as show off several pointy tools and tiny crawls attached to more brackets at the top of it. "I built it myself."

"Nice," Rapunzel said, fascinated with the young alchemist's work.

Varian might not be the wizard she was expecting on their way there, but he did not disappoint in amazing her with his inventions.

Varian jumped down from the platform and stood behind a piece of the machine that had all the operating levers. "If I'm right, this should tell use all there is to know about your hair."

Still skeptical, Cassandra tried to talk the princess out of letting this kid 'experiment' on her. "Raps, are you sure you wanna-?" she started to say, but the next thing she knew, Rapunzel was gone from her side and already strapped into the machine. "Rapunzel?"

"Let's do this," Rapunzel said, determined.

Cass tensed up, very nervous of allowing this to happen. Then she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Relax Cassandra," Ophelia said, trying to reassure the lady-in-waiting the princess would be fine. "Varian knows what he's doing."

"Okay… Rapunzel," Varian said, giving a light chuckle again at being able to call the princess by her first name alone. Then his grin dropped as he scratched the back of his neck. "Now… um. This may get a little-"

"Exciting?!" Rapunzel said as she bounced in place.

Varian hesitated as he scratched his neck again, but decided to let that word sit. "Um… sure! Yeah! That's a good word for it," he said as he pulled the two main levers in front of him, making the machine roar to life.

When the table Rapunzel was strapped to started to rumble, Pascal, frightened, jumped down from her shoulder. The gadgets above her head started to jerk her hair; pulling it, wrapping it, and tugging it every-which-way, all while the table spun her silly.

Cass watched the whole thing rather alarmed, but stayed where she was. Ophelia bit her lip, knowing what the princess was going through on that thing wasn't the best time, but she'd be fine.

She just prayed Rapunzel didn't get motion sickness so easily.

Suddenly, when the table had Rapunzel in an upright position once again, it stopped. A device to her left that looked like a modified coo-coo-clock, dinged a bell attached to the top of it.

"And there we are. Done!" Varian said as Rapunzel made her breath catch back up with her.

Despite the unpleasantness of what just happened, Rapunzel grinned. "Alright. Not super fun, but it's over," she said, followed by a weak laugh.

Varian gave his own awkward laugh before scratching the back of his head. "Uh… sorry, yeah, I meant done with the first test. But don't worry, only eighty-six more to go," he explained before pushing another lever in front of him, making the machine start up again.

The number counter on the coo-coo-clock device changed from an eighty-seven to an eighty-six as the next test started. This one making Rapunzel's table lye horizontally while a big, spinning blade on metal brackets slowly came close to her head until it came in contact with her hair.

"Amazing!" Varian exclaimed over the loud machine, fascinated as he watched the blade try to cut through the princess's hair, but it wasn't cutting. Pascal watched from the top of the controls, puzzled. Until the blade finally broke off from the bracket and came flying towards them. Pascal jumped from the controls to avoid the blade as it hit the panel where he was just standing, slicing a chuck of it off. Varian ducked as the blade flew over his head. Behind him, Cass and Ophelia also ducked as the blade flew at them, then imbedding itself in the stone wall above them. "You were right, it's absolutely unbreakable!" he said, his fascination undeterred.

The next second, all the heads in the room turned to the front door as it was thrown open, and in barged the princess's boyfriend. "But I'm betting you're not!" he yelled to the young lad behind the controls of the machine his girlfriend was 'trapped' in. "Let her go!"

Rapunzel's table came back up so she was facing her boyfriend. "Eugene!" she said in surprise as the machine continued to tug at her hair. "Hey," she awkwardly greeted him, knowing he had caught her.

Cass and Ophelia looked at Eugene, merely surprised by his unexpected presents in Old Corona. Varian's expression, on the other hand, was completely thrilled, with an extra big smile on his face.

"Blondie. You're okay," Eugene said, happy and relieved to see she was unharmed, only for his expression to go sour and suspicious a second later. "You wanna tell me what's going on here?" Rapunzel looked at Cass, unsure what to say. Her lady-in-waiting had insisted they not tell anyone what actually happened to make her hair turn back, and that included Eugene. _Especially Eugene_ , as Cass had put it. So Cass merely gave her a cold look that just said ' _don't say anything_.' And that's just what the princess did. Only letting out a light, awkward laugh. "You know what, I don't care. I'm getting you out of there," he said as he made his way over to his girlfriend up on the platform, trying to see how to get her out of the freaky machine.

"Hey! You're Flynn Rider!" Varian exclaimed excitedly.

"No. You don't know what you're talking about. I've never seen you before in my life. You can't prove anything!"

Varian just chuckled, utterly excited. "I am your biggest fan!"

"Oh geez," Ophelia said, smacking a hand to her forehead. "I should have seen this coming," she muttered.

"Seen what?" Cassandra asked her.

The next thing they knew, Varian was running away from the controls and over to some drawn curtains on the other side of the room. When he reached them, the young alchemist pulled a rope, drawing them back, revealing a shelf of rocks in the wall with stacks of books, a candle, and a few various trinkets. In the middle of the wall was a poster with a picture of Eugene's face and the name 'Flynn Rider' under it. And of course the word 'Wanted' at the top in big letters. "See?" Varian said, gesturing to his collection proudly.

"Hey now," Eugene grin, intrigued at being in the presence of such an admirer. "Flynn Rider. Nice to be met."

"I used to see your wanted posters all the time. You are my hero!"

"Oh, well… Hero is a bit much," Eugene said, flattered, as he made his way off the platform and closer to the young lad, who was walking up to him with a tall stack of books in his arms.

"I've read every single book about you," Varian said as he bumped into Eugene, sending all the books to the floor. Except one, which ended up on Eugene's head, half opened. And another, which Varian held onto.

"Oh…well, um…" Eugene said as he removed the book from his face. Clearly this boy thought he was the same man from the books when really he just took the name from them when he became a thief. "You see, that's not actually me-"

"Hey! Remember that time you totaled that evil knight blindfolded?" Varian cut him off as he swung a bizarre looking gizmo that looked like a sword in his face. He also held open the book he had to a specific page before swinging the strange sword and slicing it in half.

As the pages of the book fluttered to the floor, Varian continued to swing around the sword eccentrically.

"No, no, not me…" Eugene tried to explain as he hid behind one of Varian's work tables. "Do you wanna put that down?"

Varian, however, was too excited to listen, and kept swinging it around like he was fighting one of Flynn Rider's foes. "Oh! Tell me about how you took on the Earl of Camonbere!"

"Also not me," Eugene tried again, but the lad did not listen.

As this happened, Ophelia made her way over and started picking up the books that were scattered all over the floor, while steering clear of her sword-happy best friend. With a few books in her arms, Ophelia carefully approached Varian from behind.

"Varian, seriously, you should really-"

Just as she put a hand on his shoulder, Varian quickly turned around, facing his best friend, sword close to her but Varian pulled it away enough as he spoke to her.

"Ophelia, why didn't you tell me you knew _the_ Flynn Rider?" he asked.

The young kitchen maid sighed. She knew this was to be expected if ever these two met. She had to have it explained to her when Eugene took residence in the castle and she had questions. "Because, he isn't _the_ Flynn Rider," she said to him.

Varian lowered the sword, taking in what she just said before remembering what he thought he knew. "What are you talking about? Of course he is. You saw the wanted posters of him all over Old Corona too," he said, pointing with the sword to the wanted poster in his little 'shrine.' "And, of course they stopped when he rescued the Lost Princess of Corona and brought her back to the kingdom, and renounced his criminal ways," he explained proudly.

"Well, yes but-"

Ophelia was cut off once again, but this time it was not from Varian's enthusiastic ranting. A heavy trembling shook the building, causing a chunk of the ceiling to fall. Everyone stood there, puzzled and alarmed for a few moments, until the unexpected quake stopped.

"What was that trembling?" Eugene asked.

"Trembling? I didn't notice any trembling," Varian said quickly, looking guilty while trying to look innocent. "Oh! I almost forgot to get the spectrometric press. It's the only way I can read the results of the test. I think it's in the shed," he said, quickly changing the subject when Ophelia gave him a suspicious look.

"Great. I'll come with you," she said. She knew he was hiding something. Some new experiment most likely, and he would tell her. He always told her about everything he makes, but not around so many other people. Varian never liked to show off his inventions until they were working just right. And if something were to 'go wrong' with it at all, she wanted to know so she could be there for him.

"Alright," Varian replied. "Flynn Rider, care to join us?"

Ophelia was surprised to hear her best friend invite Eugene. But, then again, he did believe he was the hero from his favorite book series, and his idol, so it wasn't that surprising. She'd have to talk with him about that too sometime soon.

"Oooo…" Eugene tapped his chin, pretending to think over the lad's offer. "No," he said bluntly.

But Varian wasn't that easily defeated. "Hey, if-if you come, I can show you something really special. But um…" he paused, looking left and right, mysteriously for a second. "you gotta keep it a secret." Right after saying this, Varian looked to Ophelia at his side, grinning and giving her a little wink.

So this was about a new invention.

"You want to tell me a secret?" Eugene asked, not believing what he just said. Contrary to what he had been told by both his girlfriend and her best friend earlier that day, he was terrible at keeping secrets. Therefore, should not be told any. And now, someone he just met was tickled pink to share one with him. "Did you hear that everyone?" the ex-thief stepped up to Varian's equipment to brag to Cassandra and Rapunzel. "Varratos… Va…Vara-"

"Varian," the young alchemist said back to his 'hero' as he and Ophelia started walking towards the door.

"-a complete stranger, wants to tell me a secret," he bragged before following the two younger adults out of the lab.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. Sorry it's been so long. Again. Still recovering from my 'ailment,' but I at least know what it is now and am feeling much better. Also on meds for it, which are helping but at the same time are making me feel weird.**

 **But enough of that, u guys are here for the story, so here's the next chapter.**

* * *

As soon as Eugene was outside with Varian and Ophelia, the ex-thief tried asking them for whatever it was Rapunzel told them and why she came there. Varian went a little nuts with repeating everything the princess said word-for-word since she arrived, and his replies, but Eugene stopped him and asked for only the important bits.

"Mr. Rider, when the princess of Corona speaks directly to you, every word is important," Varian said to him with a very serious tone. Ophelia agreed of course, but she couldn't help finding it funny when after her best friend spoke, Eugene face palmed himself.

The young kitchen maid knew about Eugene's desire to know whatever it was Rapunzel and Cass were hiding from him about her hair. Of course, she didn't know much more about it then Eugene did, or Varian, but hopefully they would all get the answers they sought by the end of the tests.

When they got to the shed, Varian immediately started looking for the press. Ophelia joined in while Eugene just stood there, leaning against a table with his arms crossed, watching them.

"Varian, how do you ever find anything in this old shed?" Ophelia asked as she looked in a corner that was stacked with crates filled with various things. "I know I never could." It had always been a mess in that shed, even before Varian started using it as storage for his inventing and alchemy equipment.

"I know it's in here somewhere, just keep looking," her best friend replied as he looked behind stuff on some shelves. Varian looked over his shoulder to his idol, looking around mindlessly. "Sorry Flynn, we'll find it in no time," he reassured him.

"Again, it's Eugene," the older man said, but again, the younger lad payed it no mind as he continued to look.

Having had no luck in the corner, Ophelia made her way over to the other end of the shelves Varian was looking over when something big covered in a sheet caught her eye. Ophelia lifted the sheet to peak under it, and what she saw appeared to be what they were looking for. So she threw the whole sheet off, revealing a specially crafted printing press.

"Oo. Varian, I found it!" Ophelia said to Varian at her right.

Varian looked from the press to his best friend. "Excellent! Score one for Team Awesome!" he exclaimed before sharing a high-five with his oldest and dearest friend. Growing up, Varian and Ophelia often referred to themselves as 'Team Awesome.' It was like their own little private club to show that they were best friends, and they never let anyone else join. After their small celebration, Varian's eyes brighten before turning back to Eugene. "You know Flynn Rider, there's plenty of room on Team Awesome for a legend such as yourself," he said smoothly to the older gent. Ophelia was a bit taken aback by this sudden decision of Varian's, but not as much as Eugene was.

Finally fed up, Eugene decided enough was enough and he was gonna set this kid straight. "Alright that's it-!" He started to say as he stepped closer to Varian, prepared to tell him off, when Ophelia put herself in front of him.

"Eugene, wait," Ophelia said, stopping the ex-thief in his tracks and his words. "I got this," she said to him calmly. She knew how much Flynnigan Rider meant to him, so it was best if she explained it gently. Eugene looked at Ophelia and calmed himself.

She'd known Varian his whole life. Ophelia should be the one to tell him.

Eugene respectfully nodded his head to Ophelia, showing he understood, and Ophelia gave him a grateful smile in return.

"Who's Eugene?" they both heard Varian ask from behind Ophelia.

Unable to help himself, Eugene rolled his eyes. "Me!" he exclaimed to the boy, gesturing to himself with both his hands.

Varian just stood there, confused, looking back and forth between his idol and his best friend, until Ophelia gently placed both her hands on his shoulders, making him look directly at her.

"Varian, I want you to listen to me very carefully," she said slowly. Varian still looked confused but nodded. She had his full attention. Ophelia quickly took a breath before starting to explain. "This man right here; he _was_ the man from the wanted posters we used to find in the woods around town," she said, quickly gesturing to the man behind her. Eugene gave Varian a slight wave before Ophelia continued. "But he is _not_ the same man from the books." Varian's eyes widened as he looked back at her. "His name is Eugene Fitzherbert. He grew up reading the tales of Flynnigan Rider, just like us, and when he got older and became a thief, he took on the same name because… let's be honest, Eugene Fitzherbert doesn't sound intimidating in the least for a thief."

"Hey!" Eugene tried to defend himself, but ultimately had to admit the younger girl had a point. "It's true," he said with a sigh of defeat. That was why he wanted to change it in the first place.

Varian just continued to stare, eyes wide, as he processed everything he was just told. "So… the books really are fiction?" he finally said. "I mean, I already knew they were, but after seeing those posters I just thought-"

"-that he was actually real?" Ophelia finished for him. "Yeah, I know." Ophelia smiled sympathetically. She thought the same thing he did for so long.

Growing up, Ophelia and Varian had read the Flynnigan Rider books together and loved them so much. However, they were told by their parents that 'Flynnigan Rider' and his 'adventures' were all made up stories, created by a writer from another far away kingdom, and they had accepted that at a young age. But when they started seeing Corona guards posting up wanted posters for a guy named 'Flynn Rider' in Old Corona, they started believing their favorite hero really _was_ a real person, as well as the adventures they read about of him.

Back when Eugene first moved into the castle, Ophelia had approached him, very star-struck, when she was serving him and the princess for lunch one day. Eugene was flattered of course at first, but he and Rapunzel explained to her who he really was right then and there. Therefore, it was best if Varian was given the same explanation.

Feeling like he should say something, Eugene stepped up himself. "Sorry kid. I'm not the cool, swashbuckling rouge from those books. I'm just a cool, swifty and swav`e thief. Or I used to be," he said to Varian. He felt kind of bad for squishing the boy's enthusiasm, but it had to be said. Spoiling Ophelia's original perspective of him made him feel bad too, but this lad had called him his _hero_. Nobody had even called him that. But it wasn't right letting this boy keep believing something that was so untrue. "Now I'm just Eugene. Official boyfriend of Princess Rapunzel," he said proudly. He was sad to say he wasn't _the_ Flynn Rider he read about and wanted to be like when he was a boy, but he was still proud of who he was now. Especially compared to the kind of person he used to be. _That_ Flynn Rider wasn't exactly someone to be proud of once being.

Varian grinned, but with a bit of disappointment still in his eyes as he cast them down. Ophelia put a reassuring hand back on his shoulder and tilted her head down just right, so she could look him in the face. "I'm sorry Varian. I hope you're not too disappointed."

She had been disappointed when Eugene and Rapunzel told her the truth, but she knew Varian would take it much harder. She knew better than anyone how much Varian idolized the Flynnigan Rider he read about, and when he thought this spectacular man was a real person, he idolized him even more. He became his hero. And now, to tell him that he's not real after all, that was hard to hear.

Eventually, Varian raised his head. "Well… this guy might not be the hero from the greatest book series of all time…" Varian's expression turned more optimistic as he glanced over Ophelia's shoulder to Eugene. "But he's still the hero of Corona."

Eugene's eyes widened before he looked puzzled. "I am?"

"Of course. You saved our princess from her crazy, manipulative kidnapper and brought her home," Varian explained as he passed Ophelia, stepping right in front of the older man. "Besides, I'm sure the Flynn Rider you used to be has been on all sorts of adventures. Adventures in thieving, but _real_ adventures," he said, a bittersweet smile on his face as he finished, his eyes wondering to the side. Varian might have been disappointed that Eugene wasn't the fictional hero-come to life that he thought he was, but he was still a hero to the people of Corona for saving their princess. And, being a former thief, he must have been on some of his own great adventures like Flynnigan.

After all, Flynnigan Rider was pretty much Eugene's hero too.

Eugene put his own hand on Varian's shoulder, drawing the boy's eyes back up to him. "Tell you what kid," Eugene said with a friendly grin. "how about some time in the future, I'll tell you about some of the _real-life_ adventures of _this_ Flynn Rider," he said, pointing a thumb to himself.

A large grin started on Varian's face. True, Eugene wasn't _the_ Flynnigan Rider he knew only too well from the books, but he was different. Different man, different adventures. New adventures, real adventures to hear all about, directly from the person who experienced them. "Really? Oh my gosh, that would be-!" Varian's exclamation of excitement was cut off by yet another bizarre quake of the ground they stood on.

"Why does that keep happening?" Eugene asked when it stopped.

"Okay, seriously Varian, talk," Ophelia said, turning Varian's attention back to her. "What is going on with these tremors? I know you know," she demanded. She knew he knew what they were the moment he denied feeling the tremor they felt back in his lab.

During the past few months she'd been gone, Varian must have been keeping busy with something. If he had something cooking, some new invention or alchemy project, she wanted to know.

"Alright. Yes, I do know," Varian admitted without a fuss, holding his hands up in surrender. "Ophelia, I own you an explanation. And… Eugene," he said, turning back to the older man in the room, still not quite used to calling him that name. "I believe I promised you…" Varian said as he made his way to a trapped door in the middle of the floor. Varian lifted the door, revealing a vertical tunnel with a ladder. "-a secret," he said, gesturing down the dark passageway.

Grabbing a lantern and lighting it with some matches from one of the tables, Varian went down the ladder first, lighting up the dark passage so Eugene and Ophelia could see as they followed him down. When all three reached the bottom, they could see the tunnel continued onward for quite a ways. Maybe longer. Big pipes lined the rock walls all along the tunnel.

"You still want to tell me your secret? Even though I'm not the Flynn Rider you thought I was?" Eugene asked curiously as he jumped from the ladder and onto the tunnel's stone floor.

"Like I said, you're still a hero and legend," Varian said as they started walking down the tunnel, his lantern providing plenty of light. "Plus, when I offer a spot on Team Awesome, there's no taking it back."

"Yeah. And we don't just hand those out," Ophelia said as she walked alongside the young alchemist. When Varian glanced back at her, she smiled and gave him a wink, letting him know she was cool with him offering Eugene a place in their special little club.

Seeing the wink and reassuring smile, Varian smiled back, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. He wasn't sure if she was really okay with him offering someone else to join Team Awesome. When he made that offer to Eugene, still thinking he was his fictional hero, he got excited and thought letting him on Team Awesome would make him think he was cool. He didn't pause to consider Ophelia's feelings or if it was okay with her to let someone else join. It was their own private, best friend's thing and they had never offered to let anyone join before. Now that he was thinking of her, he thought perhaps she would be hurt that he was letting someone else intrude on something so sacred to their friendship. But her genuine smile and signature wink told him she was fine with it.

Varian was reminded, after being apart for several months, just how cool his best friend was.

Besides, Eugene didn't say if he accepted the offer yet or not.

The three continued walking in silence for only a few seconds before Ophelia decided to ask a very pressing question about where they were. "So Varian, does Quirin know you've been coming down here?"

Varian stopped walking for a moment. Ophelia and Eugene stopped too to look at him. "Yahh… well, ya know…" he stuttered with a forced smile. Ophelia of course knew what that meant and gave him a look. Varian dropped the smile. He could never hide anything from her. "No. No he doesn't," he admitted sheepishly.

Ophelia sighed. Of course. "You do realize that if he finds out you've been coming down here, he'll kill you," she said, crossing her arms. Quirin, the Village Leader, as well as Varian's father, was a good, devoted, and hard-working man. However, he wasn't always supportive in his son's… hobbies. Moreover, the tunnels they were in, while not too many people in Old Corona knew they existed, those that did knew they weren't for just anyone's use.

She knew that, Quirin knew that. And she knew Varian knew that.

"Ha!" Varian barked out a laugh like that was the most absurd thing he ever heard. "My dad would… He wouldn't…" he said in between the forced laughs, but again, the look on Ophelia's face compelled him to not even bother trying to deny it. "Okay, he probably would," he quickly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck before starting to walk down the tunnel again. Ophelia fell back into step beside him and Eugene continued following behind them. "But you know, if he knew what I was _actually_ doing down here, he'd probably be impressed," Varian said truthfully but optimistically. "Or, as least, I'd hope he'd be impressed," he muttered least confidently. As optimistic as Varian was most of the time, he let doubt cloud his mind regularly. Ophelia didn't like it when Varian doubted himself. "Which is why, I'm not going to show him until I've got it working right."

"Got what working right?" Ophelia asked. "Varian, these tunnels run throughout the entire village. What do you need all this room for?"

Without even realizing it, they had reached the end of the tunnel and entered a big, spacious section of the cave. "For this," Varian said, gesturing into the cave. Ophelia and Eugene turned their attention to the center of the cave and saw a giant mysterious machine that didn't look like anything they had ever seen before.

Ophelia looked at it in awe while Eugene just raised an eyebrow. "I don't get it," the ex-thief said.

Varian walked on, closer to the machine where a barrel full of a glowing red substance and a table stood. "Through the miracle of alchemy, not magic, I have found a way to heat this entire tank of water with a single drop of my newest compound…." As he explained, Varian placed his lantern down on the table, next to a flask full of a glowing green substance with an eye-dropper in it. "Which I've taken to calling Flynnoleum, as of late," he added cooly as he picked up the flask, looking at it closely before holding it out closer for Ophelia and Eugene to see on the other side of the table.

Ophelia looked at the compound in fascination. Eugene just looked at it, still confused. "I still don't get it," he said.

Varian placed the flask back on the table. "I'm gonna surprise my village by bringing the people hot, running water!" he said enthusiastically, walking around the table and gesturing proudly to the machine as the top gave a screech, releasing some steam.

"Varian that's awesome!" Ophelia shouted, excited by the idea.

"I know, right!" Varian said, walking right up to his best friend. "Picture it, Ophelia…" Varian put his arm around Ophelia's shoulder and the two looked off into the empty space of the cave above them. "After a long, exhausting day, the first thing you want to do is slip into a nice hot bath, relax, and let the stress of the day melt away. Well with my Flynnoleum, you can in an instant. No more endless waiting for the water to heat up," he explained confidently before turning to look at her again. The face Ophelia wore however, was not exactly the same. She still looked happy and intrigued, but she also wore a knowing look. Varian knew that look too. "And of course by 'you' I mean 'anyone.' _Anyone_ can get hot water like that," he tried to clarify, ending his sentence on a snap of his fingers before rubbing the back of his neck again, but Ophelia already more than understood.

Ophelia smiled. "Yeah I-I get it Varian," she said warmly. She knew why Varian made this, and she was touched.

Varian smiled back. "I mean, it's still a work in progress, but there's enough to supply the whole village. I've constructed five of these babies all throughout the caverns."

Ophelia's eyes widen a bit hearing this. As did Eugene's. "Five?" the kitchen maid asked nervously.

"Of these huge machines?" Eugene added, sounding more concerned. "And these tremors… your machines are causing them?"

"No, no, not the machines," Varian said, trying to reassure the two. "The chemical reactions they trigger do." As he spoke, Varian took the eye-dropper from the flask on the table and held it over the barrel of the glowing red substance, then processed to release a single drop from the dropper and let it fall into the barrel. As soon as the drop of the glowing green substance hit the red substance, the top of the barrel blew in an upwards, mushroom cloud explosion. Varian turned his face away from the blast, which quickly died down.

Ophelia and Eugene shielded their eyes from the bright explosion too. When it was over, Eugene stepped up to speak again. "And no one else knows your doing this? Okay, listen kiddo, I'm no expert in… whatever this is… but anything that can cause earthquakes cannot be safe," he said, very concerned. Varian crossed his arms and raised his brow at the older man as he listened to him. "We've got to warn people about this," he said urgently, pointing up to the machine.

"What? No! We can't. Remember? You gave me your word you'd keep this a secret," Varian urgently reminded him. He couldn't have anyone else finding out about this until it was ready. "And besides, I _am_ an expert, and this is all perfectly safe," he said confidently. But, as soon as he did, the machine made another screechy moan and a screw shot out from it, flying right between the two males. Eugene cringed away as the bullet-like projectile shot passed him. Varian, however, just calmly stood where he was with his arms crossed as he watched the screw harmlessly fly passed them and imbed itself in the rock wall on the other side of the room. Ophelia watched the screw too, her hands to her chest in surprise. Her eyes and Eugene's went back to Varian when it was over. "Yeh, it does that all the time," the lad said like it was no big deal, but there was still a bit of uncertainty in his eyes and tone.

Sighing, Ophelia stepped closer to her oldest friend. "Varian, even I have to admit, as spectacular as this invention is, it does seem a bit dangerous," she said to him honestly before turning to the machine for a moment. "I mean, this thing is huge…and you've got five of these down here? And the tremors-"

"Ophelia," Varian gently cut her off, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, I know it's big and a bit alarming, and maybe looks a bit unstable, but trust me, I know what I'm doing," he tried to reassure her. "I've adjusted my calculations for every possible outcome. The margin of error is like less than 0.56%," he explained confidently, but his face quickly became unsure and in thought. "Or was it 0.57-" he thought to himself out loud before Ophelia grabbed his hands.

"Varian," she said urgently. Varian stopped rambling, looking down at his gloved hands in hers, a bit surprised, before looking back at the kind but concerned look on her face. "I do trust you. I trust in your intelligence, your engineering skills, and your reasoning," she said honestly. "I just worry sometimes when you make something this…" she trailed off, her eyes wondering for a second, trying to pick the right word. "…big."

Varian looked at her, taking in everything she just said. He always appreciated how supportive and encouraging Ophelia had been to him over the years with his alchemy exploits, but she also always reminded him to be careful. If something was too dangerous, his father would rather have him just stop. But not Ophelia. She would never tell him to stop. She wanted him to always try, but she also wanted him to be safe.

So he would continue to try, but he would be careful. He didn't want anyone to get hurt and he himself didn't want to get hurt.

Varian nodded, showing he understood and was taking what she was saying to heart. Then he squeezed her hands that still held his. "I know. But Ophelia, I promise you, if-" he stopped himself, not liking that word. "scratch that… _when_ I get this working flawlessly, there will be instant hot water for anyone's use from here to the capital. Which means instant hot baths the moment you get off work," he said. He wanted to remind her what eventual success in this invention would mean for not just him, but for her and the rest of Corona.

Ophelia nodded back. Of course she knew he wasn't going to back out, and deep down, she didn't want him to. Not just because she wanted that running hot water, but because she never wanted Varian to doubt himself. The last thing she even wanted to see him do was give up on a project. As long as they'd been friends, she supported him, stood up for him, and believed in him even when no one else did. "Well, just be careful Varian," she reminded him, and he just smiled. She said that every time he showed her a new project. "And remember, if something _goes wrong_ , you know I'll be there." And she always said that.

She would be there for him if he accidently hurt himself or people were pointing fingers at him because something he made caused a disturbance. If he caused a disturbance, his dad would be there too. But not exactly to do the same as her. Quirin was more for doing damage control, not so much defending his son's character.

Varian smiled. "You always are," he said before pulling her in for a quick hug. When they pulled away, Varian sighed and clapped his hands. "Well, alright than, we should get back to the princess to make sure the tests are going smoothly. And she's gonna need that press if we want to see those results printed on parchment paper," he said. Ophelia nodded. They had to get a move on.

Grabbing the lantern from the table, Varian and Ophelia started walking back down the tunnel they entered through. Eugene through one more uneasy look at the big water tank and flask of Flynnoleum before reluctantly following the two young people back down the tunnel and back up the ladder.

Once all three of them were back in the shed, Varian closed the trap door and extinguished the lantern before grabbing the press. Eugene exited the shed first, the young alchemist behind him, carrying the device. Ophelia was the last one out, but didn't go to follow the two males back to the main house. Instead, her eyes went to the bridge that lead back into the village.

When Varian didn't see his oldest friend following them, he stopped and turned back at her curiously. Eugene did the same a few stepped ahead. "Actually Varian, I want to go find Quirin and say hi. I think we're all going to leave as soon as the tests are complete, so I just want to see him while I'm still here," she explained. Quirin was like an uncle/second-father to her, so she had to see him before she left with the princess and company. He wasn't at home, so he was most likely busy somewhere in the village.

"Oh yeah, sure, of course. Go right ahead," Varian said, nodding a little too much. Ophelia turned to walk in the opposite direction of him. "But uh, Ophelia…" the kitchen maiden stopped at his slightly uneasy tone. "you're not gonna… you know…?" he asked. He had already made a big deal about how he didn't want his dad knowing about his latest projects sitting under the village just yet. Since she was going to go see him, he just wanted to confirm she wasn't going to tell him or anyone else about it.

Ophelia smiled before placing her index finger and thumb together in front of her sealed lips, sliding them across from the left side all the way to the right, before giving her wrist a jerk, like she was locking something. When that was done, she then processed to mime throwing what she used to lock it—the key—in Varian's direction. Smiling, Varian caught 'the key' she threw in his hand while he still held the press with his other arm, and then mimed putting 'the key' to his mouth and swallowing it whole.

Ophelia giggled. It had been awhile since they last had a secret to keep to themselves and performed that little ritual. Varian smiled back at her as she waved before turning around and making her way over the bridge. Printer under his arm, Varian and Eugene headed back to the small, run-down castle.

Eugene watched their little exchange with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he admired the cute little dynamics of their friendship. On the other, he wasn't sure if he could follow through with the same promise Ophelia gave Varian. He had already disappointed the boy with revealing he wasn't his book-hero, he didn't want to add squashing his motivation and possibly ruining his chance to impress his father and village to that.

And on another hand, as much as he thought Varian meant well and was extremely bright for his age, he couldn't just ignore the danger that was right under his feet. Those things underground were definitely unstable and he had to warn someone. Rapunzel, at the very least.

Cass was right. He couldn't keep a secret.

Maybe he didn't have a place on Team Awesome after all.

* * *

 **Not sure if I'll be wrapping this up with 1 more chapter or 2.**

 **This is my alternation of the episode to include my OC Ophelia, so I'm not going to include parts of the episode where she is not featured. You've seen the episodes, so that's how it goes, I don't need to write out what you've already seen and there are no alterations.**

 **So I will tell u this; the next chapter will begin with the aftermath of the explosions, when Varian and Cass are climbing out of that pipe, then Quirin comes in looking for Varian, and Ophelia is with him.**

 **See u all next time, and if that's not before the month is over, Happy Halloween!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I'm not dead! (feels a little like I'm dying though, but hopefully I'll be feeling better soon *knock on wood*)**

 **This chapter is pretty long, but I couldn't find an even spot to cut it into two, so here's the last chapter of this alternative episode.**

 **Just a reminder; I'm not writing out what happened in the actual episode that has no changes because of Ophelia's presence. So everything that happens between Varian and Eugene going back to the lab and the end of the explosions is just like the actual episode. And that is where the story resumes...**

* * *

When the ground finally stopped shaking and the explosions had ceased, Cassandra deemed it safe to pull herself and the young alchemist she had saved out of the safety of the pipe that could have also killed them both. The lady-in-waiting hoisted herself up to the top of the giant pipe that stood vertically imbedded in the ground, then proceeded to pull the fourteen-year-old lad up so they were both at least out up to their torsos.

"Thank you, milady," Varian said, throwing the older woman a charming smile. Cass merely groaned with a roll of her eyes as he continued to smile at her, very smitten.

"Varian!?" The two in the pipe heard a gruff voice call out. They looked to the houses close by and saw a tall, older man with short brown hair, wearing a red tunic, fur vest, and black gloves. He wore a very worried expression as he looked around the area. Right behind him was Ophelia, looking around too, concern written all over her face as well. "Varian!" he shouted again as he lifted up a door that was on the ground, looking underneath it.

Around them, other villagers started converging on the scene. "Quirin. Thank goodness you're here," a short, pudgy man with a cane said as he approached the Village Leader, but the man looking for his son payed him no mind.

"It was terrible," another man said as he came close.

"And what a mess," a woman said shrilly, looking around at all the damage and debris that littered the ground.

Quirin didn't even look at any of these people as he continued to look around after leaning the unhinged door up against a nearby hut. Ophelia walked ahead of him, still looking around franticly until her eyes settled on the big pipe sticking out of the ground a few yards away and the two individuals poking out of the top.

Breathing a deep sigh of relief with a smile, Ophelia turned back to Quirin. "There he is!" the fifth teen-year-old exclaimed to him, pointing to the pipe. Following her finger, Quirin spotted his son in the pipe and ran over, Ophelia hot on his heels.

"Uh-oh. It's my dad," Varian said to Cass. This was what he had been dreading. His inventions blew, the damage was done, and his dad knew about it. There was no denying it or covering it up.

Cass climbed out of the pipe first and jumped down to the ground. Varian pulled himself out the rest of the way too and, with a bit of help from Cass, climbed down as well. As soon as he reached the ground, Quirin was in front of him, kneeling down so they were at eye level with each other, his hands holding his son's shoulders. Ophelia stood beside them, glad to see that Varian was safe but with a bit of dread in her gut because she knew what they were in for with the damage his invention caused.

"Are you okay?" Quirin asked him, holding a hand to the back of his son's head for a second. "What happened?"

Unable to look at the disappointed expression on his father's face, Varian's closed his eyes and turned his head away. "Dad, I'm sorry," he apologized miserably.

"Not again Varian," his father said with a slight shake of his head.

"Quirin we can explain-" Ophelia tried to step in when the man started getting up to his feet.

"Not now Ophelia," he said to her firmly as he turned away from her and his son.

"But dad-" Varian tried to speak up too, but Quirin still turned away to speak to the gathering crowd.

When the man didn't look back at his son, Ophelia pulled Varian to her side, one arm around his back to hold his right shoulder comfortingly and her other hand on his closer shoulder. Varian welcomed and appreciated the gesture, but just stood there silently and cast his eyes down in despair.

After giving a brief sigh, the Village Leader spoke. "Is everybody okay?" he asked loud enough to be heard by the crowd of villagers who had gathered to seek guidance from him and to learn how this happened.

"Quirin what do we do?" a man asked, respectfully taking off his hat as he stepped forward.

"It's fine. Everything is fine. We'll repair all the damage," Quirin said calmly, trying to reassure the frightened people before slightly turning his head back behind him. "The important thing is that no one got hurt." Varian lifted his eyes back up just in time to see his father looking at him again as he said that, disappointment in his brown eyes. Varian breathed a miserable sigh before casting his eyes down again.

One citizen, the woman with the shrill voice, paying close attention to the scene before them, put together what must have happened. Of course. Every time something disastrous happened in the village, it was because of _him_. "That boy again?" her piercing voice broke through the crowd as she pointed an accusing finger at Varian.

Varian snapped his head up again, looking from the woman pointing at him then around at all the unhappy faces of the villagers, who were also looking at him nastily. A mix of outraged murmurs and exasperated groans filled the air before the louder outbursts started.

"I should have known."

"He did this, didn't he?"

"What were you thinking, boy?!"

Varian didn't know how to respond. He could say he was sorry a thousand times and try to explain himself, but that had never worked in the past. All he wanted was to impress them all by giving them this amazing new thing that could help them in their everyday lives, but just like the last time—and the time before that—it blew up in his face and the whole village thought he was a nuisance. So he just stood there, his eyes wide as he did nothing but stare at his upset village.

"He was just trying to make your lives easier," Ophelia spoke up. She could never stay still or be quiet when Varian was being discriminated in public.

"Really? Destroying the village every other week is making our lives easier?" a man from the crowd shouted sarcastically. "What a saint," he sneered, glaring dangers at the fourteen-year-old.

Face scrunched up in rage, Ophelia stepped in front of her best friend, glaring dangers back at the man. "Varian is a genius!" she shouted to not just him, but everyone else looking at the young alchemist wrong.

"Ophelia!" Quirin yelled. The young kitchen maid turned around and faced him, less angry but still upset. "I said not now," he said to her firmly. Breathing a frustrated sigh through her nose, Ophelia backed off, stepping back to Varian's side with her arms crossed. "We'll talk about this at home."

* * *

The walk from the village back to what was left of the Village Leader's small castle was relatively silent. Cassandra was relieved to see Rapunzel, Pascal, and even Eugene made it through the explosions unharmed. They were waiting by their horses, who were also okay, but their hooves were stuck in a very familiar puddle of pink-purple goo.

The young kitchen maid stopped at Vanilla's saddle bag to retrieve a basket with a light blue cloth covering the top while Varian and Quirin continued walking back to their home, Ruddiger following at his boy's heels. She meant to follow after them, only to be stopped by Cassandra. She insisted they free the horses with Varian's 'salt shaker' and leave immediately, but Ophelia was persistent and said she needed to stay a bit longer.

Quirin was going to give Varian such a scolding after what he did. She had to be there with them to mediate. Besides, she couldn't let him take all the blame for this one.

That was when Rapunzel stepped in, reassuring the younger girl to take her time. The princess understood the importance of defending a friend and she could tell this meant a lot to Ophelia. They could wait a little while. She and Eugene had some things to talk about anyway. She wanted to apologize for not trusting him and didn't want to lie to him anymore.

They all could have learned a lot more if they hadn't lost the results of the tests in the earthquake.

After promising to be quick and to bring back the neutralizing particle to free the horses when she came back out, Ophelia ran after her best friend and his father as they disappeared inside the small, crumbling castle.

* * *

"The tunnels under the village are not for you to experiment and hide your enormous machines, Varian." Quirin spoke sternly as he paced a short distance in front of his son, who sat in a chair in their kitchen. Varian's gloved hands were on his knees, his elbows locked, and his head down as his father reprimanded him for his actions. Ophelia stood off to the side, by the kitchen's main counter top. The basket she brought in sat just behind her.

"But dad, the tanks needed more space and the pipes were supposed to distribute-" Varian raised his head up to face his father as he tried to explain, only for Quirin to speak over him.

"But nothing, son." Varian lowered his head again, his lips in a tight pout as Quirin stopped in front of Varian. "You made something dangerous, kept it from me, and it nearly destroyed the village," the older man told him, his voice elevating to a bit more outraged.

That was Ophelia's cue to step in.

"They were supposed to provide hot running water to the village," she explained, stepping a bit closer to the two. "It would have been great." It _was_ an impressive invention, it just needed to be better planned out in developing until it worked properly. She just wanted Quirin to understand at least that. "Plus, it wasn't entirely Varian's fault alone."

Sighing, Quirin looked over to the young lady in his kitchen. "Ophelia, please. Enough," he said to her as patiently as he could. "You didn't do this, this was Varian. His invention, his mess, and now he needs to answer for what he's done."

"What about what I've done?" Ophelia asked.

Quirin sighed again. As much as he thought it was sweet that this girl, who he had known all her life, cared so much for his son, he did grow tired of her always trying to cover for him or take some, if not all the blame for something he did and she had no part in. "Ophelia-"

"No Uncle Quirin. This time I really am partially to blame," she spoke up again. "For one thing, Varian showed me the tanks just before I went to find you and I decided to keep it to myself," she admitted with dignity. Quirin just sighed with a roll of his eyes. She may have also neglected to inform him of his son's latest invention and the potential dangers it held to the village, but that was not worthy of any placed blame. "And secondly, who do you think gave Varian the idea to make those things in the first place?" This bit of information peaked Quirin's curiosity. The Village Leader turned his full attention back to the girl. Varian turned his head to her, giving her an almost pleading look. He appreciated her trying to help him when he was in trouble—more than anything—but he didn't want her to get in trouble too. No sense in dragging her down with him.

Ophelia saw the look in his eyes but went ahead and explained to Quirin how this could be. "A few months ago, I wrote in one of my letters to Varian about how much I like working in the palace kitchen. It's great there, but it can be so exhausting most days. I'm standing all day and its killer on my feet and back, so at the end of every day when I retire to the servant's quarters, I always draw myself a hot bath before bed. But it takes so long to fill the tub and for the water to heat up. It's like an extra chore for the day, but I still make myself do it, cause once I get in, my muscles relax, I go to bed feeling much better afterwards, and I wake up the next morning feeling fully refreshed," Ophelia said the last part of her story with a content smile, thinking about the hot baths she loved to take but hated preparing when she was sore and tired. "I explained all of this in my letter," she added before holding her hands behind her back, respectfully waiting for Quirin to respond.

Quirin, after listening to Ophelia's side of the story, turned back to his son, still in the kitchen chair. "Varian?" he asked.

Varian hesitated before replying. He didn't think it would really get Ophelia in trouble, admitting she was the one who gave him the idea for the invention, but still, he didn't want to make it sound like it was her fault. Because it really wasn't.

"See a need, fill a need; that's the inventor's motto," Varian said with another forced smile. Neither Ophelia nor his father smiled back, so Varian dropped his and quickly cleared his throat before continuing. "I was missing Ophelia and what she was saying didn't just make me think about her, but all the other hard-working servants at the palace who need hot baths after a long day. And then there's the other busy people in the capital and here in Old Corona with their own businesses and jobs. Everybody could benefit from having hot running water, dad." Varian spoke clearly and confidently. This was his trail of thinking when he was first contemplating on starting this project. Quirin stood quietly as his son explained, and then for a few more seconds after he was done.

Quirin sighed heavily again before wiping a hand down his face. When he took his hand away, he faced his son again, his hands on his hips and a ghost of a smile on his lips. "It is a good idea Varian." This shocked Varian, and for a moment, the young lad smiled, feeling a bit of pride. "However," Quirin quickly added, his lips back to a thin line and Varian's smile dropped. "You did keep this from me. You've been sneaking into the tunnels when you knew you weren't allowed down there, and those machines you made to contain the heated water almost destroyed the village."

"Dad, I'm sorry I lied, but I made them to help the village," Varian tried to once again defend his reasons and good intentions.

"Varian, you always say you do these things for the village, but they always end up doing more harm than good. You made those tanks way too big for you to control," Quirin told him. Varian's face cringed into another pout, casting his eyes down again. It was a fact that his inventions to help the village ended up failing and making a big mess more often than not, but it still hurt to hear it said out loud. Especially by his dad. Quirin knelt down in front of the lad, looking at him at equal eye level. "Son, is this really about helping the village or you trying to impress them?" he asked gently, placing a hand on his skinny shoulder.

Varian didn't respond right away. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Is it wrong that I want to do both?"

"Varian-"

The young alchemist snapped his head back up to look his father in the face again. "Come on dad, you saw the way they were all looking at me. They all think I'm an incompetent child who ruins everything he touches," he said miserably before crossing his arms and looking down again. Quirin frowned sympathetically as he stared at his son. He knew Varian struggled with getting people to like him while also being himself. "I just want them to look at me like they look at you," he muttered, but Quirin still heard him. Even Ophelia, who stood less than a few feet away, heard it too.

The people of Old Corona loved Quirin; respected him, looked up to him, listened to him. Varian wished, more than anything, for them to see him the same way, for the genius alchemist he is. And in doing so, make his father look at him with pride in his eyes.

Not sure how to reply to his son's words, Quirin stood up, removing his hand from Varian's shoulder and turned his gaze back to the young maiden with them. "Ophelia, shouldn't you be heading back to the capital with the princess and her party?" he asked.

Ophelia frowned at the older man for steering away from their previous conversation, but answered none the less. "Yes, but Her Highness allowed me a bit of time to say goodbye to you guys."

"Well you best be going. No need to keep her waiting all day," he said to her, stepping closer to the kitchen counter. "I need to go back out and help with the clean-up." Varian raised his head as Quirin turned back to look at him, his face sit in a more stern expression. "Varian, you're grounded for the rest of the day. And tomorrow, you and I are going down into the tunnels together and dismantling those machines."

Varian's eyes widen at hearing this. "What!?" he exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. "Dad, no! I've been working on those machines for mouths. And the Flynnoleum-"

"Enough!" Quirin shouted, making Varian silence himself. Ophelia looked just as started. Quirin continued in a less loud but still authoritative voice. "You are grounded and we will be taking apart those machines tomorrow. Understood?"

Feeling smaller than ever under his father's cold stare, Varian couldn't find it in him to argue. "Yes sir," he replied meekly before sitting back down.

Quirin grabbed his satchel from a hook on the wall. When it was secure over his shoulder, the Village Leader walked back over to Ophelia and pulled her into a hug.

"It was good to see you Ophelia dear," Quirin said after pulling away, then planting a light kiss on her forehead by her hairline. "Safe travels back."

"Thank you Uncle Quirin," Ophelia said sweetly. Despite the harsh discipline she just watched the man inflict on her best friend, she still loved him like a second father, was happy to see him earlier, and sad to say goodbye to him. Quirin smiled back before heading out the door. As soon as the front door closed behind him, Ophelia's full attention went to her best friend who she knew needed some comfort and encouragement before she left. While she was saying goodbye to Quirin, Varian had pulled the chair he was sitting in back up to the round kitchen table. His face was buried in his folded arms, which were laid out in front of him on the old wooden surface. Ophelia walked over to the table and sat in the chair to his right, her concerned gaze never leaving him. "Varian…" she said as she gently touched his closest arm.

Almost immediately, Varian's head snapped halfway up, his shoulders still slumped. "He never listens!" he hollered angrily at the space across the table from him. Ophelia withdrew her hand, letting him vent. "Nothing I do is ever good enough for him, the village, or anyone! I'm nothing but a screw-up," he said less loud but still full of self-loathing before dropping his chin to rest heavily on his folded arms.

"No you're not!" Ophelia said firmly, placing her hand back on his arm reassuringly. "Yeah, you've made lots of mistakes, but that does not make you a failure."

Varian pulled himself up in his chair all the way, his arms flopping down to his sides. "I said screw-up," he said blankly before letting his face fall smack onto the table in front of him. "But failure works too," his muffled voice said miserably into the wood.

Ophelia's rolled her eyes as she moved her hand on his arm to his back. "Varian stop it. You're not either of those," she said as she rubbed his back in little circles. "You're an alchemist. An inventor. And above all, you're a trier," she tried to encourage him. It may have been months since the last time she was there to comfort him during one of these endeavors, but she still did her best. Varian needed a friend, so that was all she had to be. She sighed before continuing. "I know is hurts when you make something, something goes wrong, and then your dad says the wrong things, but he wants to see you succeed as much as you and I do."

Varian lifted his head just enough to turn it on its side so he was looking at the left side of the room. "I guess," he said reluctantly, his right cheek smooshed into the table.

Ophelia sighed again as she stared at the back of his head and continued to rub his back, trying to think of another way to make him feel better. Just behind her, through a window, Ruddiger crawled in, sitting on the wide windowsill that was perfect for leaving a pie to cool on and watched the two with big, curious eyes. Ophelia smiled at the little creature before turning her focus back to her upset friend.

She couldn't think of anything else to say that would help. When she didn't have the words to comfort him, she just rubbed his back. Varian always liked it and she liked it too if she was frustrated, stressed, or upset, but it just didn't feel like enough this time. She hadn't seen him in months and she knew she could do better. But her mind was blanking on what more she could say to him.

A smile bloomed on her face as she thought of the perfect way to perk up her moping friend. It has never failed.

Ophelia's hand stilled on Varian's back as she started to hum softly. It was so light, Varian could barely hear it well enough to tell what song it was. He didn't, however, have to wonder for long, as Ophelia started to sing the words to a song he was far too familiar with.

" _I close my eyes and I can see_

 _A world that's waiting up for me_

 _That I call my own."_

"Ophelia, please…" Varian said moodily. As much as he loved this song—their song from when they were small—and to hear Ophelia sing it, he knew that it also entailed him joining in at some point and he wasn't sure if he was up for that. But Ophelia didn't let up.

" _Through the dark, through the door_

 _Through where no one's been before_

 _But it feels like home."_

Still not getting any other reaction from Varian, Ophelia decided she needed to up her game. After taking her hand from his back, the young kitchen maid swiftly stood from her chair and went around him to the other side of the table, where Varian's face was.

" _They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy,"_ she sang in his face. Still not giving in, Varian stubbornly flipped his head so he was facing the other side of the kitchen, his left cheek on the table.

Still not giving up, Ophelia ran around behind his chair again, back to where she started.

" _They can say, they can say I've lost my mind,"_ she sang in his face once she got to the other side, gripping the edge of the table. Not being able to suppress it anymore, a small grin appeared on Varian's lips as he pulled himself up fully in his chair with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. He couldn't help it. This song was a fatal weakness of his. And who could resist Ophelia's melodic voice? She was as amazing a singer as she was a baker.

" _I don't care, I don't care. So call me crazy._

 _We can live in a world that we design."_

Ophelia spun away from the table, letting the skirt of her dress poof up and flow as she twirled.

" _Cause every night I lie in bed…"_ she sang as she kept her eyes on Varian but didn't go on to the next line. Instead, she waited for him to sing it.

Varian still resisted however. He faced forward, not looking back at her. As much as he still wanted to just be mad and upset, Ophelia always seemed to bring him out of whatever funk he was in no matter what. After a few seconds of total silence, Varian finally decided to look back at his oldest friend. He turned his head, glancing over his right shoulder to see Ophelia just standing there, holding onto the skirt of her dress with both her hands, swaying side to side, a sweet and ever-contagious smile on her lips, her big blue eyes looking at him expectantly.

Breathing a sigh through his nose, Varian finally caved. " _The brightest colors fill my head_ ," he sang. He grinned as he sang. It felt good singing their song.

Ophelia let out a short triumphant laugh. " _A million dreams are keeping me awake_ ," they sang at the same time as Ophelia did a celebratory twirl. Varian finally stood from the table.

Still smiling, Varian came up to Ophelia and took her by her hand. " _I think of what the world could be_ ," Varian sang himself as he lifted his arm and spun Ophelia in a circle or two.

When he was done spinning her, Ophelia straighten her arm out, her hand still in his. " _A vision of the one I see_ ," Ophelia sang herself.

" _A million dreams is all its gonna take_ ," they sang together as Ophelia spun in until she was right against Varian. " _A million dreams, for the world we're gonna make_."

The two stood there for a few seconds before letting go, still laughing together.

"Feel better?" Ophelia asked, still holding his hand as she faced him.

Varian smiled. "Yeah," he said. Singing their song did cheer him up, but it was only a temporary distraction from what he knew awaited him the next day. Within a few short seconds, Varian's smile faded. "But dad is still gonna make me get rid of those tanks tomorrow," he said remorsefully.

Ophelia gave an exasperated sigh as she let go of his hand. "Okay Varian, you don't want me to sugar-coat it, so I won't. Your invention blew up all over the village and failed. Why? Well, not because it was a stupid idea or that you're incompetent. I know it feels hopeless sometimes, but you just have to keep trying."

Varian raised his head again, feeling up-lifted again. Ophelia always told him to keep trying no matter what, and it never failed on him. Even if she had to be a little blunt. "You're right. And I will," he said, determined, before looking away to think, his hand on his chin. "I just need to think of something else. Something bigger, something-"

"Woah, woah, woah. Bigger? As in, bigger than that?" Ophelia cut him off, not liking where his train of thought was going. "Why?"

"You know why Ophelia," Varian said, turning back to her. "The whole village thinks I'm just a crazy little kid who makes a mess out of everything he touches with his 'magical hobbies,'" he made air quotes as he said the last two words, the most annoyed expression on his face. "If I want them to like me, I gotta do something great."

Varian turned away from her again as Ophelia narrowed her eyes. She didn't like it when Varian thought like that.

"You're already great," she said. To her, he was one of the greatest people she had ever known. Varian's blue expression softened as he turned back to her. Ophelia's own expression softened too before she continued. "Varian, the last thing I want is to see you give up on a big project like this. You don't need to do something bigger, you just need to do something… different."

"Different how?"

Ophelia paused for a moment to think. How indeed?

"What if you just started smaller," she suggested. If going bigger wasn't working, then why not try it the other way?

Varian looked at her with a raised brow. "Smaller?"

"Yeah. I mean, think of it this way, if you make something big, it'll make a bigger mess if something goes wrong. Those tanks were huge, so when they blew, it shook the whole village," Ophelia explained. As she spoke, she could already see the gears moving in Varian's brain through his eyes.

"But if I make it smaller, I can control it better." Varian smiled as he went back to the table for a piece of parchment paper and a quill. "First, I'd need to weaken the Flynnoleum a bit. Then recreate the tanks on a smaller scale, maybe a cooking pot could be my base, so if it blows up in my face, it won't blow up the village," he thought out loud as he wrote and drew new plans on the paper, excitement building in his voice. "And once I get it working right, I can make it bigger from there!"

"There you go, brilliant!" Ophelia said after walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder as she looked at the plans too.

"What would I do without you?" Varian said, looking back over his shoulder to her with a grin.

"Well, you've managed to make it these past few months in-tacked, haven't you?" Ophelia teased.

"Yeah," Varian chuckled in reply, but his amusement to her little crack didn't last. True, Ophelia did almost everything for their household before she left, and Varian and his father had been doing fine since then, but today had reminded Varian how much he needed her. Not as a house keeper, but as a friend. Putting down the quill, he turned back to his friend. "I really missed you, Ophelia," he said to her sincerely.

The young kitchen maid smiled before pulling her dear friend into a hug. "I missed you too," she said into his shoulder. A few seconds later, Ophelia pulled away but held onto his shoulders. "I worried every time I thought about one of your projects going haywire and the village picking on you while I wasn't there." Ophelia casted her eyes down and to the side. "Not that it did any good today," she muttered ruefully to herself. But Varian still hear her.

"What's that supposed to mean," he asked, placing his own hands on her forearms.

"Well I didn't exactly prevent anyone from saying those mean things to you or stop your dad from punishing you."

"Hey, my dad was going to ground me anyway. And you can't stop the villagers from saying what they think of me." With his hands still holding her arms, Varian gently lifted her hands from his shoulders but held onto them. "They're just mean words. I don't like hearing them, but I can ignore them. Still, having you there beside me today was comforting," he said before smiling, trying to reassure her he was fine.

As much as he wished she could have been there with him instead of working at the palace in the capital these past few months, he had to at least try and let her see he was managing without her. It wasn't like he could make her stay.

She was working for her dream. He was proud of her.

Ophelia smiled back. "I'm glad," she said, but her smile faltered. "I still wish I could have done more though." Right after she said that, her lips turned up into a knowing smirk. "Oh wait. I already have," she said cheerfully.

Varian looked at her confused as he let go of her arms. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I figured the only thing you guys could possibly miss more than me is my cooking," Ophelia said as she walked back over to the kitchen counter top and grabbed the basket she brought in. "So, I managed to swipe this-" Ophelia pulled back the blue cloth to reveal a lovely looking pie, the top crust covered in a fine layer of glittery sugar. "from the kitchen before we left the palace," she said smugly.

Varian stared at the sweet confection, eyes wide. "Is that-" he said in awe. Ruddiger jumped onto the alchemist's shoulders and looked at the pie, muttering excited little chitters. Varian leaned in close, putting his face inches from the pastry and inhaled deeply for a second before pulling himself back. "Strawberry rhubarb?" he asked with great anticipation.

Varian loved all of Ophelia's pastries and desserts, but her strawberry and rhubarb pie was one of his favorites.

The auburn-violet haired girl smiled. "Made it fresh just this morning," she said, holding the basket out for him to take.

"Alright!" Varian exclaimed as he took the basket, inhaling the sweet aroma again. "Wait, this morning? I thought you said you didn't know you were coming until just earlier this afternoon," he asked, a bit confused.

"I didn't. I made it this morning to go on the royal family's dessert table for tonight. But when I knew I was coming home, I found a better use for it," Ophelia explained with a slight shrug of her shoulders.

Varian paused for a moment before replying. "You took a pie from the palace kitchen for me?" he uttered, a bit dumbfounded but more touched.

"Well I made it. If anyone has the right to take it and repurpose it, it should be me," she replied. Varian nodded in understand. When you put it that way, it hardly counted as stealing. Besides, she could always make something else for dessert when she got back to the palace. Still, it was meant for the royal family's table and she was okay with taking it back for him.

Just like before she left, Ophelia was always thinking of him.

Varian smiled. "Thanks."

"Of course." Ophelia smiled back, but it faltered when she remembered she had to get back to Rapunzel and the others so they could return to the capital. "Well, I should probably get going. The princess said I could take my time, but I don't want to keep her waiting too long," she said as she grabbed her black cloak from another hook on the wall by the door and draped it back over her shoulders. She didn't want to leave Varian like this, and he didn't want her to go either. But she was needed elsewhere, and Varian understood that.

"Definitely not," Varian agreed. "Oh, here's the neutralizing particle," he said after quickly digging in his work apron and handed her the shaker full of the substance he used to get rid of the goo from his booby-traps.

"Great," she said as she took it. Ophelia clasped the shaker tightly in her hands, her eyes trailing downward. She didn't want to, but she had to leave. Slowly raising her head back up to look at her best friend in the whole world. "Take care, Vary-Berry," she said with a sad smile.

Varian smiled sadly back and gave a solid nod. "You too," he said.

Ophelia stepped forward and, after Varian placed the basket with her pie in it on the kitchen table, hugged him tightly. Ruddiger gave a sad coo as he rubbed his head against the side of Ophelia's. Almost a full minute later, the two pulled away. Varian cast his eyes down as Ophelia made her way over to the front door on the other side of the room.

As her hand grasped the door handle, the young maiden looked back over her shoulder. "And Varian," she said to him. Varian perked up at hearing her voice and his eyes snapped back to her as she stood at the door. "You better not eat that pie until after dinner," she said in a serious voice, her eyes narrowed as well.

Varian chuckled and Ophelia joined in, dropping her stern façade. Although they were laughing, Varian knew she was serious about him not having dessert before dinner. It was a rule her strictly enforced when she was the one making dinner for him and his father every night.

"I promise," Varian said, his right hand raised and his left over his heart.

Satisfied with his promise, Ophelia continued to smile as she pulled the door open and stepped out.

Varian and Ruddiger stared at the door for a minute or two after it closed behind their friend who they greatly adored. Ruddiger's nose twitched, catching the sent of the sweet morsel his favorite human girl left them, and jumped down from his favorite human boy's shoulder and onto the table.

Feeling the weight of his raccoon companion leave his shoulders, Varian turned to see Ruddiger on the table, sniffing at the basket while also trying to remove the cloth covering.

"Ruddiger, no," he said, quickly snatching the basket with the pie in it off the table. They weren't supposed to touch it until later that night, after dinner. But Ruddiger looked up at his boy with his big, cute, pleading eyes—reserved especially for begging—and Varian was putty in his tiny hands. Varian sighed. "Okay fine. But just one piece," he said when he finally caved. Ruddiger yipped in excitement as he watched the boy take the pie out of the basket and, after retrieving a knife from a drawer and a plate from the pantry, cut out a small slice for his furry, masked friend.

What Ophelia doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, she was never picky about their little raccoon friend having sweets before supper.

Ruddiger happily started eating the slice off the plate as Varian took the rest of the pie over to the counter and covered it back up. He just stood there leaning against the counter top, watching his raccoon pal feast on baked strawberries, rhubarb, and sugared pie crust. He really wanted a taste as well, but he promised Ophelia he would wait.

Members of Team Awesome never broke their promises. Especially to each other

She had only been gone a minute and he already missed her. It had been months since he last saw her, and she was back for barely a day.

That day, Varian thought. That day she had all her stuff packed and she was ready to hitch a ride on a wagon traveling to the capitol. He remembered that day so well. Helping her with her few bags, some of their parting words, and how much he was going to miss her until he saw her again. Or at least until he received a letter from her after she had settled in. And he remembered one other thing from that day.

Varian stepped away from the counter, walked out of the kitchen, and made his way to his bedroom. There on a shelf above his desk was a little wooden box. After retrieving the box, Varian sat down at his desk, and opened the box lid with the greatest of care.

The inside had a dark blue velvet lining and a small round mirror on the inside of the lid. When it was opened, a small ballerina figurine on a small spring sprung up from the bottom. When she was up all the way, she started to spin around, and a sweet melody filled the room.

As Varian listened to the familiar tune, he was taken back to that day more vividly in his mind.

Ophelia and Varian stood in the kitchen, the little box in her hands, holding it out for him to take.

"You're not taking it with you?" Varian asked as he looked at the music box.

"I'm afraid something might happen to it if I bring it with me," Ophelia said. "If I leave it here, I'll know it's safe. I know you'll keep it safe," she said confidently as she held the box out further to him.

Reluctantly, and with great care, Varian took the box and held it on top of the palms of both his gloved hands. "Are you sure? This was your moms."

Ophelia's smile wavered. "Which is why I want you to hold onto it," she told him firmly. "You remember my mom singing this song for us. And I've sung this song for you and myself more times than either of us can count." Varian nodded, recalling both. "So if you're missing me, just open this and image it's me singing," she said more cheerfully.

Varian smiled. That was kind of her. Ophelia loved that music box—one of her most prized possessions—and she was allowing him to hold onto it for her. They were both going to miss each other, so this would certainly help make the separation a bit easier to bare.

Varian looked down fondly at the little box before a thought occurred to him. "But what if you start missing her?" If she didn't have the box, she was sure to feel great sorrow, not having the last thing she had of her mother. He couldn't do that to her while she was going off to live and work in a place where nothing was familiar and everything was new.

"Then I'll just sing it myself," Ophelia said after she thought for a moment. "It'll help me think of her and you." Of course she'd miss hearing the sweet tune of the music box herself, but she felt Varian had a greater need for it than her. To make him feel better if he was feeling blue after some trouble with the villagers or with one of his projects, or after arguing with his dad.

She missed her mother very much, but so did Varian. And he will miss her after she goes away. As will she miss him. She could make it easier for herself, but Varian needed a little extra help making it easier for him. And she was fine with that.

Offering him a reassuring smile, Ophelia lifted the lid of the box as Varian held it between them. As the music played, Ophelia sang:

" _How does a moment last forever?_

 _How can a story never die?_

 _It is love we must hold on to_

 _Never easy, but we try_

 _Sometimes our happiness is captured_

 _Somehow a time and place stand still_

 _Love lives on inside our hearts…_ "

" _And always will._ " Varian sang as he rested his folded arms on his desk, and then his head on top of them as he watched the ballerina spin.

He smiled sadly again.

Saying goodbye wasn't always hard. He knew he'd see her again. How soon? He wasn't sure. But he stayed hopeful. That was all either of them could do for now.

* * *

Ophelia sprinkled the neutralizing particle onto the purple goo that trapped Maximus, Fidella, and Vanilla's hooves. As soon as all three horses were free, everyone started to mount up. Eugene and Rapunzel, Pascal on her shoulder, mounted Maximus together. Cassandra mounted Fidella by herself, and Ophelia got back on Vanilla. When everyone was set, they started down the road at a steady trot, through the village that was being cleaned up, and back onto the path through the woods.

"Well that was fun," Rapunzel commented as they entered the forest. "Not counting all the unpleasant tests and explosions."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, princess. And I'm sorry we lost the results of the tests," Ophelia apologized. She had promised the princess answers on her hair and felt bad that she wasn't able to get them.

"It's okay," Rapunzel said. She really wasn't upset, so she didn't want the younger girl to feel that way. "For what it's worth, you were right that Varian could help. And maybe he can again in the future."

Ophelia's head snapped up to look at the princess to her right. "Really? You'd give him another chance?" she asked, very anxious but overjoyed. To respond, Rapunzel merely smiled and gave her a stern nod. "Oh, thank you! That's wonderful! Varian will be so excited," she practically squealed in delight.

"You and Varian seem very close," Cassandra said to the kitchen maid after she calmed down a bit. She could tell from how they interacted with each other back at his home and in the aftermath of the explosions. They acted closer than kin.

Ophelia quickly looked over her shoulder at the lady-in-waiting trotting behind them and gave her a little smile. "Like I said, he's my best friend," she said confidently before facing forward on Vanilla. "We were practically raised together." Ophelia face fell a bit. A sad smile overtaking her face as far off memories consumed her thoughts. "Varian's mother passed away when he was just a baby, and she and my mother were close friends. After she was gone, my parents wanted to help Quirin however they could. As the Village Leader, he was always busy and trying to raise a child on his own wasn't easy. So while Quirin and my father worked, my mom would watch over Varian and me. Sometimes Quirin would drop Varian off at our house and he would spend the day with us. Other days, my mom and I would go over to their house so she could clean and cook a bit for them while watching us. We played together, learned together, got into trouble together," she laughed a bit, thinking of those fun times growing up together with her best friend. "That's how life was for us, and it was great."

"Did you get to visit your parents before we left?" Rapunzel asked.

Ophelia's smiled faltered, but she tried to put it back as she looked back over to the princess. "My parents aren't around anymore, Princess Rapunzel," she said calmly.

Immediately, Rapunzel's eyes widened, fearing she had offended the poor girl. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"I know, you didn't know. It's okay," she reassured the older girl. It was years ago, but it still made her sad to talk about sometimes. Still, maybe it was better if at least these guys knew. "When I was eleven and Varian was ten, a group of bandits came through Old Corona. I was at home, baking with my mother, Varian was with us, and our dads were out working. When they came, mom ushered for us to hide in the cellar while she went out to help. Before she closed the cellar door, she handed me dad's black cloak and told me it would keep Varian and me safe."

As she said that, Ophelia took one of her hands off of Vanilla's reins and reached up to clutch onto the front of the black cloak she was wearing.

"They ransacked homes, set fires, stole everything of value they could get their hands on and destroyed everything else. They didn't stay very long though." When she told her story, her head was tilted down, facing forward, but her tone was clear and loud enough so the rest of the traveling party could hear. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass, as well as the horses, listened attentively and sympathetically.

"Varian and I waited in the cellar for maybe an hour or two at the most. I covered the both of us in that cloak like a blanket. We were both so scared. We held on tight to that cloak and to each other. Then we smelled smoke. I peeked out the trap door and saw flames all around the room. Not a minute later, Quirin came bolting in through the front door, calling for us. He got us out of there. When we got outside, I was still holding that cloak tight to my chest, looking around for my parents. The bandits were gone, but a few of the buildings were still on fire, so people were trying to put them out. It wasn't too bad though. I was so relieved, until I started calling out for my parents. I couldn't find them… That's when Quirin came to me and told me what had happened."

Ophelia paused, feeling her throat grow a lump. "Apparently, the bandits were trying to steal horses from someone's barn. My dad was trying to stop them. One of the bandits didn't like someone standing in their way, so one of them pulled out a knife and…" She didn't finish her sentence. She didn't have to. "And-um… and my mom," she said slowly when she got her voice back. "She was there too. She came running over, just as my dad fell to the ground. Just as the bandits were walking away, my mom took a shovel and started wailing on them from behind." A glimmer on pride sparkled in her eyes as she said that. "She got in a lot of good hits, but one of the men had a crossbow." And that was all she could say about that part. "We lost a lot of supplies and livestock that day. But my parents were the only lives lost."

They watched as Ophelia reached up and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. "That is so awful. I'm so sorry Ophelia," Rapunzel said, feeling a little tear forming in her own eye.

Eugene was sitting behind Rapunzel in Maximus's saddle, but he could tell from her slightly choked tone that his girlfriend was getting upset from the younger girl's story. The ex-thief reached up to her arm and rubbed it, offering her a bit of comfort. He wanted to do the same for Ophelia. Having also lost his parents when he was young as well, he knew how she felt. But he couldn't do much from the back of a different horse than her. "What happened after that?" he asked.

"Well, I was an eleven-year-old girl without parents. They were gonna send me to an orphanage on the other side of the kingdom, but I didn't want to go. That village was my home. I didn't want to leave and Varian didn't want to see me go either. That's when Quirin stepped in and said I could live with him and Varian, and I was so happy." Ophelia's smile turned less sad and more genuinely happy. "Their house was already like a second home to me. They were already my family."

Ophelia's mood, as well as her voice, turned a bit brighter as she continued. "Quirin never told me I had to, but after he took me in, I took it upon myself to take care of the house. I always made sure it was clean, I made sure Quirin and Varian had hot meals every night. I knew they needed the help and it felt good to me to do it. Just like my mom did," she said the last sentence a bit more sadly, but she still smiled, fondly remembering.

"That was nice of you," said Rapunzel kindly.

"Despite living in the same house 24/7, Varian and I were closer than even," Ophelia said, much happier. There were the good old days before she lost her parents, but she still had more after mourning them and moving in with Varian and Quirin. "He would share all his new inventions and alchemy projects with me. He would be my taste-tester when I was trying a new recipe, and I would assist him with his experiments. And every time something of his went wrong, I'd help him clean up the messes," she explained confidently. "And if something really bad happened, and the whole village was looking at him the wrong way, I was always there. I always had his back and told him it was okay. That he was going to do something great one day, and his dad and the whole village would be cheering his name."

Nobody in the traveling party doubted her commitment. They all saw firsthand how protective and supportive Ophelia was of Varian.

"So I've been living with them for the last four years, until about seven months ago when I decided to leave to get a job in the capital and start earning some money and saving up."

"Anything special you're saving for?" Eugene asked curiously.

"My dream," Ophelia said with wishful look in her eyes. "I want to make enough money to open my own bakery and café. A place where people can sit down and enjoy their pastries together with friends. And it would have a nice big stage, so people can put on shows and anyone can go up and sing and dance and just have some good fun doing it." Ophelia's two most favorite things to do were baking and singing, and she had a real talent for both. She was so passionate about both, she wanted to combine them into one dream.

"That sounds terrific," Rapunzel said, feeling more uplifted to hear about Ophelia's wonderful plans for the future.

"Thanks." Ophelia threw the princess a quick smile. "Anyway, I hated leaving Varian and Quirin, but they wanted me to have my dream. And of course, I promised them I'd write and visit when I could. I'd never forget about them."

"And that's when you left for the capital and got a job in the palace kitchen?" Cassandra asked, seeing all the pieces come together.

"Correct," she said over her shoulder. "I was only working there for about a month before 'the Lost Princess' returned," she said, throwing a wink to said princess riding beside her.

For the rest of the journey back to the capitol, Rapunzel described to Eugene and Ophelia the truth of how her hair really returned. She had told everyone that she just woke up one morning with it grown back and blonde again, when really Cassandra helped her sneak outside the Corona Wall, where they found these mysterious, unbreakable, pointy, black rocks in the same spot the Sun drop flower was planted before the king's men took it. And when Rapunzel touched one, her hair turned back to the way it was before Eugene cut it.

To Ophelia, that explanation was even wilder then the other one. She thought of what Varian would think if the princess had just told him the truth while he was trying to help her. He would probably say something about Rapunzel's hair—which got it's powers from the legendary Sun drop—having some kind of connection to the black rocks.

Then again, Ophelia wasn't a scientist, so she didn't know for sure what it could mean. But she knew Varian well enough to know how he would make sense of the information.

Although, she was a baker, and cooking was a _type_ of science. But that was different.

Unknown to them all, as Old Corona got further and further behind them, those black rocks were sprouting from the ground just on the other side of the Corona Wall.

* * *

 **The 2 songs I sampled here were _A Million Dreams_ from The Greatest Showmen and _How Does a Moment Last Forever_ from Beauty and the Beast (live-action). None of which I own.**

 **Little fact; the reason I named Ophelia's horse Vanilla was because of Fidella. When I first started watching the series, I didn't know the name of that female horse, so I was listening for it to be mentioned very carefully. And when it finally was mentioned, I thought they said 'Vanilla,' so I thought that was her name for awhile. Then I was corrected by a fanfiction story and then confirmed it after a quick web search that her name is indeed Fidella. But the name Vanilla was still in my head. So later on, when I was writing this and needed a name for the horse my character Ophelia would be befriending, I thought Vanilla was a good choice.**

 **And with that, this story (and in turn, this episode) are complete.**

 **Next story: Great Expotations (episode alternative). See u then!**


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